


Bitty Tales

by PhoenixFlames123



Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: Child Abuse, Heavy Angst, Insanity, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Short Stories
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-02-23 19:07:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 47
Words: 38,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13196643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixFlames123/pseuds/PhoenixFlames123
Summary: This will consist of one-shots for original characters that myself and a friend have made, along with characters from the game Cup Head. The cover belongs to the lovely 丅ђє Ꮆяεαт Ƥαρүяυs , please enjoy these Bitty Tales





	1. First Date

 

   I smile as I watch my princess fly through the air, she's been doing so well at flying here recently. "My names the Devil, and I steal souls for a living blah blah blah!" She says as she flies above my head. I stifle a chuckle as I stand upon the casino's sign, "I'm Kingsley Dice, and I love to hear the sound of the dice rolling away people's money." I say in a deep voice. "That I do, son. That I do." My dad's voice startles me, I turn around quickly, but that was a mistake. I slip and flail my arms around, "D-DAD!!" I yell as I tumble down the front of the building. My dad's muffled laughter echoes around me when I land on the ground hard, my head was separated from my body...again. "Don't worry princey! I'll get your crown!" Called Binx as she flew in the direction where my crown had fallen. My dad regains his composure as he places my head back on my body, I groan and hold my head in my hand. "So, do you still need to talk?" He asks as he helps me up. My face heats up with embarrassment as I glance up at Binx, "Y-Yes, but can we do it somewhere private? I don't want the princess to hear." I mumble.   
 

 My eyes widen when the realization hits me, "Princess?" My dad questions. I laugh nervously and rub my arm, "I-I didn't say, princess! N-Nope! I-I said Binx!" I say quickly. I watch as a Cheshire like grin spreads across my dad's face, "I-It's not what you think dad!!" I yell in protest. Dad ruffles my hair as he walks past me, "We can talk...when the princess isn't around~." He coos. My face burns hotter as I watch him walk away, Binx flies down and holds my crown out to me, "Are you okay Princey? You're really bl-." I snatch my crown and run away, "THANK YOU, PRINCESS, SEE YOU LATER!!!" I yell as I run to catch up with my dad. I slow down when I get to his side, I try to be cool and collected like him. I chance a glance at him and see that he is looking down at me. I look down at the ground, I tense when I feel him snake his arm around my shoulders. "I knew you'd fall for her son~." He coos again. I stare at him in disbelief, "DAAADDD!!!" I yell as he closes the casino's door.   
 

 He chuckles and ruffles my hair again, "I say she feels the same way sport." I cover my face with my hands, "I-I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW!!" I yell. He lets out one of his hearty laughs as he pulls me over to his side, "Relax Prince, these feelings are normal." He says. I peek up at him, he's smiling down at me. "T-They are?" I ask hesitantly. His smile widens as he bends down to be the same height as me, "Of course they are! It just shows that you love her kiddo." I shift in my spot and look down at my feet, "H-How can I show her those feelings then?" I ask softly. Dad tilts my head up, I blink and stare at him. He grins, "With a date of course."


	2. First Date Pt.2

 

  I decided to take my dad's advice, I'm going to ask Binx out on a date...I'll do that when I get the courage to knock on her bedroom door. I take a deep breath and hold up a shaky hand, I leap back when the door swings open. Binx stands in the doorway, she's wearing her favorite princess dress, she always looked so pretty in pink. "Hi Princey! Are you okay?" She asks. She's probably referring to earlier, I laugh nervously and tug at my shirt collar. I swallow nervously and hold out a white daisy to her. "W-Will...W-Will you g-go on a date with me p-princess?" I stutter. I curse myself silently, dad told me to be cool like him and I'm doing the exact opposite! Binx smiles and takes the flower from me, "Of course my dear prince." She says as she curtsies and giggles. My face heats up in embarrassment, 'S-SHE SAID YES!!! Calm down Prince!' I scold myself mentally. I grin widely at her and pull her into a tight embrace, "A-Awesome!! I-I'll meet you on top of the sign at eight!" I say happily as I hold her at arms length. We say our goodbyes, as she shuts her bedroom door I rush down the hall and into my dad's office. "Well kiddo?" He asks expectantly. I smile and bounce in place, "S-SHE SAID YES!!" I yell in excitement.  
 

   Dad grins at me, "That's wonderful Prince! Now all we'll have to do is tell her father about it." That simple sentence sent my world crashing. Fear grips my heart, I don't want the Devil to know, he can't know. "Come, we'll go tell him together." Says dad as he stands from behind his desk. I look at him with alarm and shake my head, "N-NO! L-Let's not tell him he doesn't need to know!" I yell in a panic. Dad frowns as he walks in front of me, "Prince he'll need to know. He won't hurt you, I promise kiddo." He reassures as he takes my hand and leads me to the Devil's office. I grip his hand and bite my lip nervously, he has no idea what the  _Devil_ has done to me. When dad pushes the door to the monster's office open, a wave of heat hits me square in the face. "Ah! Kingsely! To what do I owe the honor?" The Devil asks happily. I move behind my dad and squeeze his hand, "Boss, my son has something to tell you." My dad replies as he pushes me in front of him. I shift nervously and look down, "Well, spit it out Prince." The Devil says with fake happiness. I glance up at him, I can see the hatred for me in his eyes.   
   

  "I-I...I-I asked B-Binx o-out on a date and s-she said yes." I stammer. The Devil stares at me for a moment, then he gives me a big toothy smile, "How wonderful! I knew you two would get together soon!" His words makes me blush. 'M-My crush isn't that obvious is it?' I think as I look up at the Devil. "So, where is the young couple dining at Kingsley? The kitchen? My daughter's playroom?" The Devil questions as he takes a puff from his cigar. My dad nudges me a little, I perk up slightly. "W-We're going to be on top of the casino's sign." I say hesitantly. The Devil grins at me, "Well then, I'll have Bitty whip something up for you two for this evening." I shift nervously, I don't trust his "happiness." The Devil dismisses us, when we're out of the room I sigh in relief, my dad pats my back and grins down at me. "You did good kiddo! Now, let's go get you ready for your date with your princess~."


	3. First Date Pt.3

 

  "Prince hold still." My dad warns as he tries to straighten my tie, I try my best not to squirm. "C-Can't you just leave out the tie? It's choking me." I say feeling a little irritated, dad looks at me and flicks my nose. "A gentleman always wears his tie Prince." He says as he finally manages to get the tie situated. My dad stands back and puts me in front of the mirror in my room, he made me wear my purple suit, I never did like it because it looked so much like his. "You look snazzy kiddo! Now, tell me the pick up line I gave you to use." He says, I blink and look down nervously. 'I forgot the pick up line!!' I take a breath and look in the mirror, "H-Hey mama a-are you a d-devil c-cause you're hot-...w-wait." I can hear my dad's muffled laughter from behind me. I turn around and point an accusatory finger at him, "D-DON'T LAUGH AT ME!!" I yell. Dad clears his throat and grins at me, "I'm not laughing at you kiddo, I'm laughing with you." He says. I cross my arms and pout, I know he's lying. He chuckles and pulls me into a hug, "It's seven thirty Prince, get your flowers and head on up to the top of the sign." He says as he hands me a small bouquet of  white daisies. I smile nervously as I form a portal, I hop in it and land gracefully on the sign, I wave at my dad as the portal slowly closes.   
 

 "Hiya Prince!" Binx's greeting startles me, I whirl around and grin sheepishly. "H-Hi princess...e-er...h-here." I say as I hand her the flowers. She smiles and takes them from me, the daisy I gave her earlier lies behind her ear. She sits down and lays her flowers down, I sit next to her and pull my knees to my chest. "Daddy said that Bitty would be bringing us some soup and sandwiches up, he also said that Bitty made some mini chocolate cakes for us." She explains as she copies my sitting position. I give her a small smile, "T-That sounds lovely." I reply nervously. We sit in a awkward silence for a moment, "I's coming Miss Binx!" Bitty's soft voice breaks the silence, I sigh in relief. Bitty climbs up to the top of the sign holding a tray, she walks over and places the tray in front of us. I reach over and pull the lid off, the soup smells amazing. "T-Thank you Bitty," I say as I hand Binx her soup. Bitty accidentally bumps into my arm and causes me to spill some soup onto Binx's dress. "Bitty! Why did you bump into Princey for! You spilled soup all over my dress!" Binx scolds the tiny demon. "I-It's okay princess, I-I'll clean it off of you," I stammer as I grab a napkin and begin to pat her dress dry. Out the corner of my eye I see Bitty knock over a glass of grape juice that was on the tray. 'Is she doing this on purpose?' I thought. "BITTY! YOU CAN GO NOW!!" Binx's yell causes both me and Bitty to jump. Bitty looks down sadly, "I's sorry Miss Binx." She says softly as she hops down from the sign.   
   

  Binx huffs in annoyance and hands me one of the tiny sandwiches on the tray, "I'm sorry Princey...Bitty can be a klutz sometimes." She says as she takes a bite from her sandwich. I smile and nod as I bite into my sandwich, I frown and lift the bread. There's cigar ashes on mine, I grab a napkin and spit the food into it and ball it up. "Princey?" I look at Binx and raise my eyebrow, "Yes, Princess?" I ask. Binx leans forward and smiles, "Can I kiss you?" My face feels like it's on fire, 'S-SHE WANTS TO KISS ME!? M-MY FIRST KISS!? WHAT IF I MISS!?' I think wildly. Without hesitation I nod, slowly Binx leans forward, I close my eyes and pucker my lips. "Hoho- I think you two are too young to be kissin." The Devil's voice startles me. I open my eyes and look up, he's standing in between me and Binx. "Daddy! You said you wouldn't interrupt!" Yells Binx, her face is beat red. The Devil grins and picks her up, "I couldn't help it my little devil, now, I do believe it's your bedtime." "No it isn't!" "It is now, say goodnight to Prince." Binx glares at her dad and flies out of his arms, she leans down and pecks my cheek. "Goodnight Princey." She says as she grabs her flowers. I lightly touch my cheek and watch as my princess and her horrible father fly down to the ground, I can feel my face burn from embarrassment.   "Psst, Prince how'd it go?" I look over and see my dad poking his head through a portal, "S-She kissed my cheek." I stammer, my dad grins and reaches over to pat my back. "I-I think I'm in love..." I whisper.  
 

 


	4. The Game

 

I fidget nervously as I stand in front of the Devil, he's sitting on his throne smoking a cigar. It feels like an eternity before he finally speaks, "I'm sure you know why I called you here Prince." He says as he stands from his throne. My fidgeting get's worse, I want to move away, but I just can't make my legs go. I fight back a whimper as I keep my eyes on the Devil, slowly the demon king makes his way towards me. He grins lazily as he stops in front of me, "It's time to play our game. Are you ready?" He asks. I shake my head and hold my hands up, I don't want to be hit again...he hits too hard. The Devil's grin turns wicked as he back hands me hard, I land on the floor in front of his feet. A whimper escapes my trembling lips, I regret it immediately. "Oh boy! Was the whimper my dear Princley~? You know what that means!" Exclaims the Devil as he kicks me into the nearby wall, I yell out in pain and curl in on myself. "Ten extra points for me~." He coos as he picks me up by my hair, tears stream down my cheeks as I try to pry his hand off of my hair.   
   

  "N-No m-more please!" I beg as more tears fall. The Devil laughs and throws me into another wall, "Why kiddo we're just getting started! Now you better take your turn before I do~." He sings. I fight back a whimper as I stand up, with shaky legs I run at the Devil and hit him with all my might. It barely affects him. He laughs loudly, "Is that all you got!? All that build up and that's all you could manage! HOW PATHETIC!" He roars as he punches me down to the floor. The whimper I held back escapes my lips, I get on my hands and knees and look up at the Devil. He grins down at me, "Ten more points my boy!" He yells as he punches me back down to the ground. I bite my bottom lip hard and stay on the ground, 'D-Don't get up...' I tell myself. The Devil growls and kicks my side repeatedly, "GET UP! GET UP! GET. UP!!!" He yells angrily. I close my eyes tight as more and more tears slip down my cheeks. I refuse to get up.   
   

  "Fine! Stay down! But next time we play, it will be  _ten_  times worse!" He roars as he lands one final kick to my side. I glance up and watch him climb back up into his throne through bleary eyes. Without hesitation I get up and run from his office, I holds my side and whine in pain. "Hey Prin-!" I run past Binx, she can't see my like this...s-she just can't. I run into my room and slam the door behind me, when I lock the door I slide down to the floor and let out a pain filled scream. My face and ribs hurt really bad, I hold my head and sob loudly. " _I-I hate those g-games!! I-I HATE THEM!!!!"_ I scream as I grip my hair. He hits too hard, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!! A knock on my door startles me, I jump up and open the door. My dad is standing there, he looks worried. "Prince, oh my lucifer son what happened!?" He yells as he takes my face in his hands. It takes all my willpower to not tell him, I close my eyes and jerk away from him. ' _If you tell your father about our game, then I'll be sure to make you watch as I rip his soul from his body boy.'_ The Devil's words echo in my head.   
   

  "I-I'm f-fine...I-I...I-I got into a fight with Bitty." I whisper. "Did you win?" Asks dad, I fake a smile and nod. He grins and pats my back, it's so hard not to wince. "Good job Prince!" Y-Yeah...good job at lying. When my dad leaves, my earlier break down returns. I can feel my lip twitching, I hate when it does that, I hate when those annoying little voices pop into my head...calling me weak...and pathetic. I hate it...so much...


	5. You're The Devil (Teenage Prince)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been a few years after the Devil's defeat, the cups decided to take Prince away from his abuse after they defeated him.

 

  It was a beautiful day in Inkwell, school had just let out. I lean back against the tree I sat under and sigh in relief, this has been the easiest day I've had since I was brought here. "Hey there King Dice wannabe, did you get lost?" Sneered one of the kids in my class. I open one of my eyes and frown, "I'm not a wannabe stupid. He's my dad," I say with irritation. The boy scoffs and flips my princess's crown off of my head, "Sure you are." My lip twitches a little, I bite down on it and try to reign in my anger. The jerk picks Binx's crown up from the ground, "Binx? Wow what a stupid name." He says as he drops it. His comment sends hot red anger through my veins, I stand up and grab the front of his shirt pulling him close to me. "W-What did you just say?" I'm trying so hard to hold back, the boy glares at me. "I said it's a stupid name." A growl leaves my mouth as I punch the jackass down to the ground.   
   

" _Her name isn't stupid you asshole!"_ I yell as I kick him into a nearby tree. When his pathetic whimper reaches my ears, something in me just snaps. I grin wide and take a step towards him, "Was that a whimper!? Oh  _boy do you know what that means!_ " I yell as I lift him up by his hair. He shakes his head and stares at me with wide eyes. "I GET TEN EXTRA POINTS!" I scream as I throw him into another tree. He screams and curls in on himself, "G-GET AWAY FROM ME Y-YOU DEVIL!!" I stop and stare at him. My lip begins to twitch more, I can't control it, I can't control my anger or the voices, they won't  _stop._ "I-I'M NOT LIKE HIM!!  _TAKE IT BACK!!_ " I yell as I kick him over and over. He screams for help and for me to stop, but I can't he has to take it back he  _has to_.   
   

"PRINCE! STOP!" Someone yells as they pull me away from the bully. I fight to get out of their hold, " _LET ME GO!_ " I yell as I struggle more. I pull my arm free and throw a fiery dice at the tree that the jerk is laying under. "PRINCELY DICE POTTS STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!" I pant and turn to look at the person who was holding me. Cuphead stood behind me, looking both angry and scared. My lip and hand were twitching uncontrollably, "H-He...H-He was picking o-on me, h-he took my c-crown h-he called Binx  _stupid, h-he called me THE DEVIL!"_ I yell. Cuphead slaps the back of my head hard, "YOU'RE ACTING LIKE HIM! NOW CALM DOWN!!" He yells angrily. I step back and stare at him in shock, 'h-he thinks  I'm like him t-too?' I fight back my tears as I run away from the so called  _hero_. "Prince wait!" Mugman calls as I run past him and the kid that I hurt.   
    I run as far as I can, I look back to make sure they're not following me. I hide behind a tree and wrap my arms around myself, a small whimper escapes my trembling lips.

 _"Ho ho! Was that a whimper! You know what that means my boy! I GET TEN EXTRA POINTS!!"_ I gasp and fall to my knees, I grip my hair and curl in on myself. "I-I tried to p-play t-the game...n-nononono!!!! T-The game is  _bad it's bad...I-I'm.._ bad.." I whisper as tears slip down my cheeks, I'm no better than him. I can hear the cups calling for me, but I don't want to see them, "I-I'm..b-bad." "Prince! Cups I found him! Hey, buddy are you alright?" Mugman asks worriedly as he stoops down beside me. I close my eyes tight and whimper again, "I-I'm b-b-bad..." I whisper again. I look up at Mugman and see that his brother has now joined us, I sniffle and give them both a watery smile. "W-Will...w-will you two destroy me too? I-I'm bad...I-I don't belong here." They look at me with concern, my smile widens. I deserve the same fate as the Devil, because I'm no better than  _him._


	6. That's My Job

 

  "Drift off to sleep now, son.." Kingsley calmly said with a smile, gently petting the little hair his son has on his head. Prince slowly dozed off in his lap, the gentle rocking relaxing him. Its tough being a dad in an environment such as this, under circumstances such as Kingsley's, but he's determined to be a good father. He didn't have something like that in his life, and he'll be damned if his son will have the same fate. Kingsley sighs and leans his head back, his casino business was sinking. He was barely meeting ends meet, he barely had enough money to get his son something to eat. He looks down at his sleeping blue boy and smiles, "I'll fix this son...we'll be okay again I promise." He whispers as he places a gentle kiss upon the sleeping tykes head. Slowly he places Prince in his bed, with one final look at his son Kingsley leaves to visit the one monster he swore he never would. "Ah! Kingsley Dice! What a pleasant surprise!" The Devil exclaims loudly as the hesitant father walks into his throne room.   
  

   Kingsley wrings his hands together nervously, he looks down at the floor, "A-Ah...Mister Devil sir...I have a request." He chokes on his words a little, the casino master closes his eyes. 'This is for you Prince.' Kingsley looks up at the demon king with determination, "I would like to trade you my soul for your help. My casino is running into the ground sir, and I have a son to take care of." He replies. The Devil is silent, the silence feels like an eternity for Kingsley. The Devil grins at the awaiting father, "Running into the ground you say? I'll cut you a deal Dice, I'll save your little business, but only if you help me gather souls from other people."   
   Kingsley's heart drops, could he do this? Could he really help this monster gather souls? "It's either that my dear friend, or you lose your business and possibly your son, I'm pretty sure a child can't survive in this environment, even with a parent" The Devil taunts as he takes a long drag from his lit cigar. Kingsley clenches his fists, "You got a deal."   
  

  Young Princely stirs awake in his bed, slowly he blinks his green eyes open. "Hey there kiddo...are you okay?" His dad asks softly. Princely shakes his head and reaches for his father, Kingsley takes the sleepy tyke into his arms. "What's wrong my little prince?" Princely whimpers and clings to his father, "Y-You died daddy..." His father tenses and tightens his hold on his son. "W-Will you protect me f-from the bad dreams daddy?" Princely whispers. Kingsley smiles sadly and nods, "That's my job buddy..." 

_~Flashback~_

_"You got a deal." Says Kingsley, the Devil's grin widens. "Wonderful! Now just sign here my dear friend~." The monster coos as he brandishes a soul contract and pen. Kingsley takes the pen, and without hesitation signs his name._  
  
"That will always be my job..." Kingsley whispers as he strokes his sleeping sons hair. 


	7. My Fault

 

I lay on the ground broken and defeated, I've let boss down. "H-He's going to have my head on a silver platter...literally." I mumble as I force my aching body to stand. I groan and rub my side, those two pipsqueaks did a number on me. "D-DAD!!!" My eyes widen when I hear my son's fearful call, "PRINCE!" I yell as I take off in a sprint, 'Y-You bastards leave him alone!' I think as I run to the boss's throne room. I see Binx sitting outside crying in the floor, my heart thumps wildly in my chest. I run and stoop down in front of her, "B-Binx, honey where's Prince?" I ask in a panic. She looks up at me with tear filled blue eyes, she points a shaky clawed finger to her father's closed doors. My heart sinks, I scoop her up and run towards the large doors, I push them open. The place looks like a battle field, the Devil sits on his throne looking worse for wear. He's missing a horn, I look around the ruined room and I don't see Prince anywhere. I run over to my boss and hold onto his sobbing little girl tight, "B-Boss where's P-Prince?" I ask barely containing my fear.   
 

  The Devil gives me a sad look, slowly he holds up my son's crown. "I'm...I'm sorry Kingsley...I tried to save him." He says softly. Tears spring into my eyes, "N-No...n-no please." I whisper as I trade Binx for the crown. She begins to cry louder when she sees Prince's crown, I can feel my heart breaking. I drop to my knees and hug the crown to my chest, "M-My...m-my little prince..." I choke on my words. I close my eyes tight, my happy boy's face flashes through my head.  The Devil places his hand on my shoulder, I shrug him off and glare down at the floor. " _T-Those C-Cups w-will pay! THEY'LL FUCKING PAY!"_ I yell as angry tears stream down my face.   
 

  A small whimper leaves my trembling lips, I grip the crown tight in my hand. "I-It was my job to protect you...t-to keep you s-safe...I-I've failed you....I'm s-sorry P-Prince." I choke out through pain filled sobs. "T-That was always supposed to b-be my job...."


	8. I Love You

 It was my job to keep Binx occupied, my dad made us leave the roof to my room, he said that those cups from before were on their way and he didn't want us to get hurt. "Is daddy and Kingsley going to be okay Princey?" Binx asks as she lays the plushie of her father down on the floor. I give her a small smile and pull her into a hug, "Of course they are. Our dad's are the strongest people we know." I reassure her. Honestly? I don't think they will be okay, from what my dad said those cups are pretty determined and strong. "I hope so...I don't want my daddy or Kingsley to get hurt." Her soft reply startles me for a moment. I hug her tight and nuzzle her head, "They'll be okay princess." I jump up when my bedroom door opens, I throw some dice at the assailant, "Ah! M-Mista Dice it's Bitty!" The little demon squeals as she walks inside. I can't help the grin on my face, it doesn't make me feel bad that I hit her. 

   "What is it Bitty?" I ask, Bitty looks down at her feet and sways gently. "Masta wishes to see you." My stomach does a somersault, 'N-Not the game please...' I gulp and smile nervously at Bitty. "G-Give me a minute kay Bitty?" I say nervously. Bitty nods and leaves shutting the door. I turn to Binx and pulls her up from the floor, I take a deep breath and hug her tight. "Princess...I...I-I love you....a-and not as a friend...b-but more...I-I've had the biggest crush on you for awhile now." I say softly as I hold her at arms length. Binx blushes and grins, her tail sways a little behind her. "I-I love you too Princey!" She yells. I blink and blush a bright shade of blue, 'D-Dad was right.' Binx leans up and places a kiss on my cheek, my blush burns hotter. 

   "Go see daddy, and then come back, we can play marriage again." She says while smiling and blushing. I grin wide and place kiss upon her cheek, "O-OKAY!" I yell as I run out of the room. 'I can't believe she likes me back!' I think excitedly. I run inside the Devil's office and grin, but slowly my grin fades away. "Prince I'm sure you know why I called you here." My earlier panic returns, 'T-The game...' A small whimper leaves my trembling mouth. "Just hand over your soul and we'll be done here." I blink and stare at him in shock, "B-But I..." The doors to his office slams open and in walks an angry Binx, "LEAVE HIM ALONE DADDY!" She yells while point a finger at him. "Darling is your finger  _still_ a snake?" Binx narrows her blue eyes at her father and puts her hand down, "Yes, but that doesn't matter! Leave his soul alone!" She yells. 

   The Devil sighs heavily, "Princess, daddy needs hi-." "No you don't!! You have so many souls already, why do you need his!" She yells again. I blink and stare at her in awe, she's never been this mad at her dad before. The Devil throws his hands in the air, "FINE! Fine, if his soul means  _that_ much to you I'll leave it alone." He says. Binx beams and hugs me tight, "Thank you so much daddy!" She yells as she flies out of the office. I sigh in relief, "T-Thank y-you s-" The Devil cuts me off by lifting me by my shirt. I stare at him with fearful green eyes, "I  _know_ what you are, and I'm taking your soul by FORCE!" "LET HIM GO DEVIL!" Yelled a fairly young voice. We both turn and see that the cups have returned with the soul contracts, the Devil drops me to the floor, I watch as my crown rolls across the floor. I crawl over to it and grab it, I look back in horror. "Well, well, well...Look how far you've come! Not only did you bust up my good for nothing lackey, King Dice...but I see you've got my soul contracts, as agreed! Hand em over and join my team!" The Devil announces as he holds his hand out expectantly. The red cup, known as Cup Head refuses, "Welching on me just like all the others eh...I'll teach you for backing out of a deal--Have at you!"  The Devil roars as the battle begins. 

   I crawl over to the closest corner and curl in on myself, I turn to the door and watch as it closes slowly, through the crack I can see a scared and crying Binx. My breathing quickens as tears stream down my face, "D-DAD!!"


	9. The Statue by The Great Papyrus

Kingsley covered his mouth as he was trying to hold in a laugh. Princely and Binx stood beside a big paper statue of the Devil, showing it off as if it was a trophy. It was very poorly made, the face drawn on it looking ridiculous, a crude drawing of a very grumpy face. The rest of the sculpture was made with notebook paper colored black, things like his horns and claws being made of cardboard. There was a taped together sign across the front of it reading " Meanie-Poopie-Devil ", the handwriting was adorably sloppy. " Do you liiiike it?~ " Binx asked with a grin. Kingsley tries hard to keep his laughter contained, " W-What is this all about kids? " " Well, we heard the Devil didn't give you the raise you deserve, Dad.. " Prince started to explain, " So we made this of my meanie-face daddy! " Binx finished. A giggle escaped the casino's manager. " Did you two make this- beautiful thing yourselves? " he asked, pausing in between to let out another giggle. " Well, yea!- " " Well, no, not exactly, " Prince said with a grin, " your little card minions Hearts and Spades helped out a bit. " he signaled over to the two sentient cards trying to escape the room, as if they were in trouble. Kingsley lets out a signature hearty laugh, his arms wrapped around his stomach. Prince and Binx grin, their plan worked to cheer him up. They run over to him and share his contagious laughter, Kingsley looking back up at the sculpture. " Ah.. yea, he is a " Meanie-Poopie-Devil ", isn't he kiddos? "


	10. Exploring by The Great Papyrus

I slowly open the door of my dad's office, leaving a crack to peak outside. Dad is busy with a skeleton trying to start a fight with a bull, although he is pretty strong, he'll be there a while. Now would be the right time to start exploring. Dad told me to never leave his office but, I'm just dying to see the rest of the place! I carefully inch my way out of the office, slowly closing the door to minimize the noise it made. I'm small, it should be fairly easy to sneak about, everyone here is huge, just gotta stay away from the bone heads.

Its a full house tonight, maybe dad won't see me. I carefully step my way into the crowd, crouching down to draw the least bit of attention. This place is huge! A lot bigger than it seemed from the office. Slot machines line the walls, some spread about in the middle of the casino in neat rows. Near the front doors were tall, coffin-shaped tables, Craps tables, I believe? I try to pay attention to dad when he rambles about his day, but its usually late at night when he does that and I'm usually really tired. Looming over the door was some picture of a weird looking guy with long, straight horns and a toothy grin. I really hope I don't end up running into whoever that is..

" Oi! Those're mah chips ya dingus! " a boar suddenly shouted, snapping at another skeleton stealing a few chips from his pile. His stupid cigar ashes ended up landing in my hair, I could feel the little bit of heat coming from them. " Sit down, sir! I'm sure you can just get your chips back the usual way. " I hear my dad hiss, keeping the bull at bay. " Ah bullshit! Those be mah chips! I earned 'em money tokens! " the boar snapped back. Its hard to tell whats going on from where I am, but I don't need to see whats happening to know I need to get out of here, and fast.

The boar's chair flies back behind him as he shot up, prompting me to quickly leave. I get down on all fours and sprint, probably not the best solution, but its the one my mind chose in a situation like this. Before I knew it I was at the other side of the main lobby, a loud fight erupting behind me. I couldn't bring myself to look back, I was too scared my dad was part of that brawl. I quickly look around, my legs quickly launching me to the left since I had caught a glimpse of an opening. I finally take in where I'm at.. as if I knew where I was at, obviously I don't. I ended up in some.. massive room, this one being a much hotter temperature than the lobby. There's a couple red slot machines in the far right corner, I guess those are VIP ones. I look to the left, there's a massive safe door with gold piled around it, making it seem like there wasn't enough room in there to contain all of it. Seems a bit careless, I think, but I'm not one to judge, I don't really know how this place works.

...Is that... baby noises, I hear? I glance back over to the right, tiny noises are echoing into this room from there. Did someone's child get lost, much like I have? I hop onto my feet, examining the room was last time before walking to where the noise is coming from. " Bah! " a very tiny figure greeted me, their very tiny wings flapping away in excitement. They were... adorable. They had a cute little pink bow resting on their head, tiny nubs of horns poking out from her fur. The tiny demon crawled over to me, poking at my shoes, as if she was amazed by them.

" Shoeeee! " she yelled in an adorable little voice, followed by a giggle. I couldn't help but think she was precious, was I like that when I was like her? I bend down a bit, her crawling back a bit and tilting her head. " Well, whats your name? " I ask, smiling. The adorable little thing blew a raspberry, trying her best to talk. " B.. Blbl.. Bin!! Bin!! " she exclaimed, hopping a bit with each shout. I giggled, I'm sure thats not her full name but, I'm glad I know at least part of it. " I'll just call ya B, is that ok? " " Ya!! Ya!! " she said with a quick nod. She's very excitable, thats a given. " Say, wheres your mommy and daddy? I'm sure they're worried sick about y- " " Her daddy is right here. " a rough voice said, causing me to tense up. Oh god, was I talking to some mafia member's kid?

B turns her head, hopping up a bit, trying to lift herself up with her tiny wings. " Da!! Da!! Da lookit!! " she giggled, pointing at me. I couldn't move, my mind was screaming at me to run but I just couldn't. I shakily raise my head, looking into the darkness of the rest of the room. My breathing picks up, the silence is deafening. " Whatcha doin' here, little guy? " the voice asked, yellow and red eyes staring right back at me from the dark. I let out a scream, bolting up to my feet and running off, the confused squeak of B being the only thing bidding me farewell. I push my way through the crowd, jetting into my dad's office. I calm my breathing, quickly looking outside. Thankfully no one actually noticed me, and dad was too busy dealing with hooligans to return to his office to see that I wasn't there. I slowly close the door and lean against it, letting out a long breath. ...Who was that?


	11. Meeting The Devil

Slowly I creep out of Binx's room, I turn and wave goodbye to her before I close her door, "Well, well, well...you must be the little romeo that has snagged my little girls heart." A deep voice says from behind me, I whirl around and stare up in horror. 'I-It's the weird looking guy from the picture!' I thought in a panic. A cigar hangs lazily from his mouth, a soft whimper escapes me. I take a single step back, "Now hang on there a minute sport I'm not going to hurt you." The weird guy says as he holds his hands up. I scream and run back to my dad's office, when I get inside I slam and lock the door behind me. I grip my chest and I pant heavily, "N-Now I see why d-daddy makes me stay in here, t-there are weirdos like him around." I breathe. I walk over to my dad's desk and climb up into his chair, I blow a strand of hair out my face. 'What can I do?'

I spin around fast in my dad's chair, I squeal in laughter as I keep spinning myself. "FASTER ME FASTER!!" I yell as I spin the chair faster. Suddenly the chair stops moving, "Princely Dice, how many times have I told you about spinning this chair." My dad's stern voice sends a shiver down my spine. I look up at him and give him a sheepish smile, "S-Sorry daddy. I was bored," I reply nervously. My dad gives me one of his contagious grins, "Well, why don't we change that?" He picks me up and sets down in the chair holding me on his lap. "Ready kiddo?" He asks. I grin wide and nod, dad laughs and starts to spin the chair around and around really fast. I scream and laugh loudly, "FASTER DADDY!!" I yell as we spin. Dad laughs louder as he spins the chair around faster. The sound of someone clearing their throat causes dad to stop spinning the chair, I can feel him tense up. I look at the doorway and see that it is the weird guy from earlier. 

I shrink in on myself and cling to my dad's pant leg, "B-Boss, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Dad stutters as he tries to regain his usual composure. The weird guy gives us a both a toothy grin, I look away from him and cling tighter to my dad. "Dice, buddy, why not introduce me to the tyke?" He says as he walks inside. My dad lifts me into his arms and smiles at me, "Say hi Princely." I look from him to the weird guy, I begin to shake in fear. "H-Hi," I stutter as I bury my face into my dad's chest. Dad's laughter causes his my head to bounce a little, "Sorry boss, he's a little shy." It was now the weird guys turn to laugh, "It's quite alright Dice. My little Binx is the same way," I look up and turn to the weird guy. "..Y-You're Binx's daddy?" I ask. I immediately regret my question, "Princely Dice have you been sneaking out of the office!?" My dad yells. I tense and look up at him with wide eyes. 

"Now Dice, he's a curious kid. This place is huge, can you blame him for wanting to look around?" The weird guy vouches for me. My dad frowns and turns his attention back to the weird guy, "No, sir I can't, but I've told him multiple times to stay in here." The guy takes a long drag from his cigar, "Dice if you'd like he can stay with me in my office along with Binx." My heart drops at the thought, my dad shifts me over to his other arm, "That's very kind of you sir, but Prince needs to stay in here." My dad states. The weird guy shrugs and turns to leave, "Goodbye young prince, I hope to meet you again." He says as I leaves shutting the door. My dad sags tiredly in his chair, "Prince...son I'm begging you, stay in here. I don't want you near him do you understand me? He's bad kiddo, if you want to see his daughter then use this phone..." He points at the phone on his desk, "to call into the casino, I'll answer it and you can tell me where you are going." He explains. 

I shift in embarrassment as I look down at my hands, "Yes daddy..." The next day, I do as my dad says and use the phone on his desk to call into the casino, I tell him that I'm going to see Binx. I hop down from my dad's chair and open the door to his office, when I walk out I walk into someones legs. I blink and slowly look up, its the weird guy. "Going somewhere little Prince?" He asks. I scream and take a step back in the office and slam the door in his face locking it. I continue to scream as I walk over to my dad's desk and climb back into his chair, I pick the phone up from the receiver, I take a deep breath and scream. "DADDY!!!!!!!!!" I yell into the phone. Seconds later loud footfalls can be heard outside the door, I jump down and unlock the door. It swings open and reveals my dad's scared face. "Prince! Oh god son what happened!?" He yells as he bends down to one knee. I cry and run into his arms, "T-THE WEIRD MAN W-WAS AT THE DOOR W-WHEN I TRIED TO LEAVE!!!" My dad groaned and held me at arms length. 

"H-He was going to take you to Binx Prince, I asked him to." He says slightly annoyed. I look down at my feet and sniffle, "C-Can't y-you take me daddy?" I whisper. He groans again and rubs his face, "Son I got a job to do. Just go on and I'll watch you go okay? I won't let anyone hurt you, it's my job to protect you." He says. I nod and slowly step out of the room, I look both ways and sigh in relief, no one is here. I walk out and walk towards Binx's room, I look back at my dad and wave as I walk into her room. "Pincey back!!" She yells as she stumbles over to me. I look at her and smile, "H-Hi Binx." I say as I sit down in the floor. Binx holds up a doll for me to take, I take it from her and give it a weird voice. She laughs, her laugh makes me laugh. 

"You know it's rude to slam the door in people's faces." The weird guys deep voice resonates from behind me. I tense up and turn around, he looks angry. "I-I..." I choke on my words. He walks past me and picks Binx up, "Nap time my little devil." He says as he walks over to a nearby crib, Binx fusses at her father with her babbling. "I know nap time is such a meanie." He replies to her babbling. I stay rooted to the floor, once he lays her down he walks back over to me. "Now, why do you keep running away from me boy?" He asks. A whimper escapes my trembling lips, "D-Daddy..s-said y-you were bad mister." I stammer. Right away I knew that was the wrong answer, "Bad huh? Well Prince, I got a little game you and I can play." He says while giving me a big toothy grin, he bends down in front of me and takes the lit cigar from his mouth. I lean away from him, his eyes narrow at me as he grab my arm roughly. He jerks my sleeve up, "I need an ashtray, hold still." He seethes as he puts his cigar out on my arm. I scream loudly and try to pull away, he laughs and squeezes my arm. "GUESS WHO JUST GOT TEN EXTRA POINTS~!"


	12. Smart Cookies by The Great Papyrus

" Hmmm.. " my dad quietly thought to himself, staring at the chalkboard. I still have no idea where he keeps the thing, its like he pulls it straight from a portal or something. " ..Erm- dad? Is there any lesson today..? " I ask, feeling a bit bad for snapping dad out of his thoughts. " Hm? " he turns his attention to me, the chalk handler hanging out of his mouth. " You've just been staring at the board, are you out of ideas? " I ask, raising an eyebrow. " Hm! " he takes the handle out of his mouth, " No, no it's not that, I was just thinking about something that would make this part of the day a bit more fun for ya. "

If anything his explanation confuses me even more. " ..Elaborate?? " I ask. Dad chuckles, placing the chalk back on the handle. " Well, you like Binx, right? " he asks with a grin. " ...Yea?- " " What I was thinking was.. " he turns to the board, writing out her name under mine, " Binx could join ya during teaching hours! Y'know, to have a partner around to help ya out. " he says, his signature grin on his face. " ..B-Binx? " " Well, yea! Now, I ain't saying you're not smart enough to figure this stuff out on your own, you're a smart boy, " he points to himself, " just like your dad! Though, I just thought it'd be nice to have a friend around. Plus, if Binx knew as much as you did kiddo, you two could bond a lot more! " he explained, drawing things out as he was talking. One thing I could make out on the board was a small doodle of Binx and I wearing glasses with the words 'Smart Cookies' written above it.

I smile a bit at the idea, that adorable little devil joining me during this. My dad waits eagerly for my response. " Soo? What d'ya say my little prince? That's when you know he's excited about an idea when he refers to me with that name. " ..S-Sure! Sure I'd love that! " " I knew ya would! " he shouted with confidence, circling Binx's name on the board. " A little devil will join ya in class tomorrow! " We both were bursting with excitement, dad always loved making me happy, and I loved it when he would get excited since it was so contagious. A loud buzz interrupted our moment. " Kingsley Dice, work starts in 30 minutes, wrap up the lesson and start gettin' the casino ready. " a groggy voice informed, sounding as if they just woke up. " Of course Henry would ruin this.. " he growled under his breath when the beep signalling the call was over played. I frown a bit, " No lesson today? " My dad lets out a sigh, " No lesson today, kiddo. " I pout, staring down at the desk. His frown slowly returns to a grin as he walks over to me, patting me on the head. " That just leaves more knowledge for you n' Binx tomorrow! " he said, lifting my spirits. He never liked seeing me frown, he always knew how to make me happy..and mentioning Binx was now one of those ways. " Yea! Yea you're right! " I said, my mood back up to an all-time high. He laughs, hugging me before walking to his office's door. " Now remember- " " Stay in the office and call into the casino whenever I need anything, I know dad. " I finish with a smile. He grins back at me and nods, " Good boy, now stay safe in here. Its a holiday, place is gonna be boomin'. Please don't forget the call part. " he asked, a slight bit of worry wavering his grin. " I never do. " I reassure him. He sighs, slowly closing the office door. I hear him from the other side, " Now, time to make some cash for the kiddo."


	13. The Game Pt.2

"Prince everything is going to be okay, just stay in the office. I won't be gone long, I promise." Dad explains as he tries to pry me off of his leg, he's going to leave me here with him. "C-Can't I just go with you daddy?" I ask. Dad sighs and pulls me off of his leg, "No, Prince you can't. Just hang out here in the office, I'll be right back." He says as he sets me down in his chair. He waves at me before he shuts the door, I sit in his chair and stare at the door with a blank expression. Every little sound causes me to twitch, "C-Come back daddy please." I whisper. Slowly the door begins to creep open, I hop out of the chair and embrace my dad's legs. "Y-You're back!" I yell, "Wow sport, such a warm welcoming for a poor sinner as myself." I tense and pull away. 

The Devil smirks down at me, "Ready for our game?" He asks. I shake my head no and back away from him, he frowns. "Too bad," he sneers as he drags me out of my dad's office by my hair. I claw at his hands, I look down the hall and see my dad standing in the entrance of the casino staring in horror. "Mm, I figured we could do something with fire today my boy, each time you scream or whimper you get burned deal?" Says the Devil as he drags me into his office. "N-No! T-That's going to hurt!" I yell as I claw his hands harder. He picks me up and grins, "That's the point~." He coos as he throws me down into the floor. I scramble back away from him, the Devil lights a cigar and pulls me back close to him. He lifts my shirt sleeve and presses the scolding hot end of the nasty cigar to my arm. 

Tears swim in my eyes as I fight back a scream, 'D-Don't scream.' I tell myself, the Devil glares and presses the scolding embers to a different part of my arm. An ear shattering scream rips through my throat, "S-STOP!!" I yell as I try to pull my arm away. The Devil laughs loudly as he burns me again, "TEN POINTS~!" He sings as he burns my arm over and over again. My screams only grew louder, "S-STOP IT PLEASE!!!" I scream as tears fall down my face. He laughs again and squeezes my arm tight, "It's only just begun Prince!" 

I lay curled up on the floor shaking, my breaths come out fast and shallow. My arms and legs are burning, "Mm, it seems that I've won again Prince. You better get going, your good for nothing father will be returning soon." The Devil's tone sounds bored. I force myself to stand up, with my eyes to the ground I limp out of the Devil's office. "P-Prince..." My dad's broken whisper catches my attention. I look up at him, his scared expression doesn't phase me, I don't feel anything. He stoops down in front of me and touches my arm, I flinch and jerk away. "A-Are you okay? W-What did he do?" He asks worriedly. I stare at him, I give him a small smile. "We played..." I rasp as I walk past him back to his office. 

I ignore his pleas and continue to walk away from him, I don't want to be near anyone. My left hand and lip begin to twitch, those voices are coming back. 'Pathetic, you couldn't even protect yourself.' One of them sneers. I look down and ball my hand into a fist to stop it from twitching, "I-I'm pathetic...h-ha~."


	14. The Talk by The Great Papyrus

The doors to the Devil's office swung open and slammed against the walls with a loud bang. In stomped an enraged Kingsley, staring daggers at his boss. The Devil jumped at the sudden noise, returning only confusion to his lackey's glare. Kingsley stood firm in front of him, his lip twitching a bit. " ..Whats up, Dice? " asked the Devil, finally breaking the silence. The lackey's hand twitched when he asked that, quickly tightening into a fist, a small stream of smoke flowing from it. Forcing a smile, he replied, " Boss, we need to talk. " The Devil's expression changed to that of a bored one. He sighed, " So what, I ate your sandwich! I get it, it was yours! It wasn't like you was gonna eat it anyway, you don't even like mayo. " " It isn't about that, boss. " Kingsley growled. He raised an eyebrow, flicking his tail. " What is this about then, Dice? Was it because I used one of your suits as a towel? I washed it with fire afterwards! " he said, waving over at the fires beside his throne, tiny purple shreds of fabric still lying near them. Kingsley let out an annoyed sigh, " No, it isn't about that, either. " " Then whats this about? Just spill it- " " Its about you harming my son. " Kingsley interupted, letting out a low growl afterwards. The Devil tensed up, returning the low growl as he flicked his tail a bit harder. " ..So the little shit told you, huh? " he asked with a snarl. " He didn't have to tell me, actually. The boy has cigar burns on his arms and legs, " Kingsley growled, his grin wavering, " and I don't smoke like you do, nor would I ever treat my son like that. " The Devil rolled his eyes, lighting up a new cigar. " Alright, ya caught me Dice, bravo!~ " he mockingly congratulated, holding the cigar in his teeth as he clapped. The smoke grew a bit thicker as it flowed from his tightened fist. " How long.. has this been going on, boss? " he asked, his lip twitching, stuggling to keep up the fake smile. " Oh, its been going on since he was a little tyke, " he flashed a toothy grin, " surprised you never noticed to be honest, Dice. " A low growl escaped from him, his shoulders tensing. " Is that why my boy was so afraid of me leaving his sight? " he asked, his tone slowly shifting away from calm. " Sure, that may be why. " The Devil shrugged, " Though.. its not my fault your son is pathetic and can't win the g- "

He was quickly cut off by a fireball rushing past his head, slamming into his throne, leaving a burn mark. The lackey was now shivering, a crazed look in his eyes, the green of them standing out bodly. " I trusted you with him.. just as you trusted Binx with me.. I never harmed Binx, now did I? " he shakily asked, his hand twitching furiously as another fire slowly sparked up within his palm. The Devil hissed, " No, but unlike your son my daughter isn't pathetic! " Kingsley let out a loud growl, tossing a fireball right into his boss's face. " DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HIM THAT WAY, YOU MONSTER! " The Devil roared in his face, his form twisting and changing. " Oh.. " a low laugh echoed around the room. " You wanna fight Satan, huh? Have at you! " his voice boomed, bouncing off all the walls. 

Prince sat emotionless beside his dad's office door. It was locked, and he didn't have a key, so its not like he had an option. He was staring hard at the ground, counting the dice lining the sides of every tile. Small tears slowly ran down his face, each drop plopping against the floor causing him to shiver. " D-Don't c-cry, l-little shit- " he spat at himself, quickly wiping away his tears. " o-or i-it'll be t-ten times worse.. h-ha.. " he slowly pulled his knees to his chest, gripping his right arm tightly. " Prince.. " a shakey voice called out for him. He slowly raised his head, letting out a gasp. " D-Dad! " he shouted, quickly pushing himself up to hug his dad's leg. " Y-You- He didn't- hurt you over me, d-did he? " he whimpered, looking up at his dad with tear filled eyes. Kingsley's head was full of cracks, one corner of his head even being chipped off. He looks down at his son, trying to give him a reassuring smile. " Daddy's fine, my little prince.. " he gently picks him up, trying not to touch his burns. " Devil won't be harming you anymore, kiddo.. heh.. " he gives him a shakey grin, one of his teeth being missing. Prince frowned, running his thumb against a crack on his father's head. " ..He won't be h-hurting you e-either, will he..? " Kingsley frowned a bit, adjusting his son's position in his arms. " Lets.. Lets hope not, kiddo. " he sighed with a frown, pulling out a key and unlocking the office door. " Lets not worry about that right now, ok? How's about I sing you a song tonight, the one you love. " Prince smiled softly, " Sure, dad.. " he replied. Kingsley slowly walks into his office, limping along. He slowly shut the door and locked it, making sure no one would barge in, especially someone in particular.

The Devil was standing quietly, watching as that was playing out. He hissed as he touched one of the burns Kingsley had left on him. " You're lucky this is Karma, Dice. You're so damn lucky. " He hissed, going back into his office, slamming the door shut.


	15. You Told

It's been a few days since my dad had his "talk" with the Devil, we've been okay since then, that jerk hasn't tried to hurt me and dad's been a bit happier. "Prince?" I look up from the dice in my hand, my dad is poking his scarred head inside his office. "Yes?" I reply. He gives me a worried smile, "I...I-I gotta run out for a bit son...I'm going to have Bitty watch you okay?" He explains slowly. I blink and nod, "W-Where are you going?" I ask. Dad gives me one of his bright smiles, "I'm going to pop down to the store and get you something, it's going to be a surprise." He replies softly. I return his smile and nod, dad opens the door a bit more to allow Bitty to scamper in. "Now, Bitty I expect you to keep him in here and safe." My dad explains to the tiny demon. Bitty gives my dad a salute and grins, dad smiles down at the demon and waves at me as he closes the door. 

"Mista Prince, Miss Binx misses you," says Bitty as she climbs on top of my dad's desk. I rub my arm, I say she does miss me...I know I miss her a lot. "Would Mista Prince like to see Miss Binx?" Bitty asks as she nudges my hand. I blink and look down at her, "I-I can't leave Bitty." I say softly. Bitty smiles and wraps her tiny hand around my pinkie, "I's protect you Mista Prince. Bitty big and strong," she reassures as she tugs my hand. I chew on my lip, "I-I guess...it...wouldn't hurt to go see her for just a little bit." I mumble as I place Bitty on my shoulder. 

I walk over to the office door and open it slowly, I peek out and look around, there's no one outside. I step out into the hall and walks to Binx's room, I stop in front of her door and place my hand on the knob. I turn it and slowly push the door open, I poke my head in and look around. "Binx?" I whisper as I walk in. Bitty hops down from my shoulder, I ignore her and walk in further. It's so dark in here, "Binx? Are you in here?" I call again. I jump when the door slams behind me, I turn around and stare with wide eyes. "B-BITTY!" I yell. "You little shit you told on me," fear shoots down my spine. I close my eyes and try to control my shaking, "B-Bitty..." I whimper. 

The Devil digs his claws in my hair and pulls my head back, "Guess again boy~." He coos. I pant hard and stare at him with wide eyes, there are burns on his cheeks and arms. "What did I tell you I'd do if you told on me?" A whimper escapes me. "I-I d-didn't..." I whisper. The Devil flashes me a big toothy grin, "Oh, but you did Prince. You know what's going to happen now?" He taunts. Tears spring into my eyes, "N-No...p-please...l-leave m-my dad alone...p-please..." I whimper. The Devil laughs loudly, "OH BUT PRINCE THAT WAS OUR DEAL~! If you told I would rip your father's soul from his body, whilst you watched~." 

"H-Hurt me instead! P-Please!" I beg as my tears stream down my cheeks. The Devil tilts his head to the side and smirks, "No, I have a better idea." He says as he releases me. "BITTY!" He yells causing me to flinch. Bitty comes back into the room, "Yes masta?" She asks. The Devil points at her and smirks, "Play the game with Bitty boy." My eyes widen in shock as I stare up at him. "B-But I-I..." He glares down at me, "Play it or I'll torture your father until he dies." I look at Bitty and swallow. "I-I'm s-so sorry Bitty..." I whisper as I step closer to her. I stare down at her, she looks up at me with big yellow eyes. "M-Mista Prince?" She stutters. I clench my fists and kick Bitty into a nearby wall, she yells in pain. Something in me snaps when I hear her scream, a shaky grin forms on my face. "D-Did you just s-scream Bitty?" I laugh loudly and run towards her kicking her again, "T-TEN EXTRA POINTS FOR ME BITTY~!" I yell as I watch her smack into a wall. 

The Devil laughs behind me, my grin just widens as I run at Bitty again. She struggles to stand, "M-MISTA PRINCE STOP!" She yells. I laugh at her pain and kick her again, but this time she doesn't get up. I stop and twitch, a low growl leaves my trembling mouth, "GET UP! GET.UP.RIGHT.NOW!!" I scream as I kick her over and over again. I kick the air as someone picks me up, I growl and kick my legs harder, "PUT ME DOWN!" 

"You did good Prince~. Look at that you won the game~." The Devil coos softly, I stop kicking and stare down at Bitty with wide eyes. She's not moving. "B-Bitty?" I whimper. The Devil sets me back down, I back away from him and Bitty. He grins at me and lights a cigar, "You're such a good boy Prince~." He sings as he takes a puff from his cigar. I twitch with discomfort and run out of the room. When I turn to run back inside the office, I hit someones legs. I fall to the ground and look up, my dad stares down at me in horror. "W-Where's Bitty!? WHY ARE YOU OUT OF THE OFFICE!?" He yells as he picks me up. I can't talk, I don't want to talk. "DAMN IT PRINCE ANSWER ME!!" He yells again. "I-I won~."


	16. It's Our Job by The Great Papyrus

I sat quietly in my fathers lap as he worked, watching every pen stroke. Sitting in his lap usually calms me down since its where I feel the safest, but now.. now I just, feel.. nothing. All I can do is blankly watch as he signs his name in that fancy cursive style on papers with words that blend together in a boring blur.

It was silent in the office, the only sounds being his pen scratching against the papers' surfaces and the ticking of the clock. I don't know why dad still has that thing, it doesn't even tell the time. Its just.. a stupid clock I made of a crudely drawn devil saying " Get back to work "

" ..Are you alright, kiddo? " my dad calmly asked, looking down at me. I didn't respond to him, my sight never left the papers. " Grim Matchstick should probably stop showing up. He's having too well of a streak. " I vaguely say, reading the paper dad was about to sign. Dad sighed, putting his pen down. " Its still eating you up, huh?.. " he asked. I just nodded a bit, my expression not changing in the slightest. I could tell dad was starting to get worried, given how many questions he was asking in the short amount of time we've been together today. Everything he's tried to cheer me up has just.. done nothing. I haven't felt anything. The image of Bitty begging me to stop is burned into my brain, something I can't unsee. She didn't do anything to me, she treats me as royalty even, and yet I do that to her. What kind of monster am I, to bend to that demon's will to harm her. I hadn't even noticed dad wrapping his arms around me and starting to sing. He was singing some song by Cab Calloway. He really likes that guy's music, he certainly has the voice to sing his songs too. Dad loves to sing, especially to me. He just never has the time to do so since he has a casino to manage. Usually I enjoy listening to dad sing, but.. ..but I can't get Bitty's screams out of my head long enough to listen to him.. I can't get Bitty's seemingly lifeless body out of my head.. is Bitty alright? I didn't.. I didn't.. " ..Prince? " I quickly snapped my attention to dad. " Y-Yea dad? " I said, trying my hardest to smile. Dad only returned a frown, his green eyes holding concern. " I.. I guess I can't help you this time.. " he sighed, looking away from me. " ...Dad- " " I was supposed to protect you from him.. he's no good for a boy like you.. and now look at'cha.. he broke my boy.. " he finished, covering his face. I really wanted to reassure dad, but there was nothing I could say.. sure, it may be his job to protect me.. ..but now its my job to protect him from the Devil..


	17. Nothing

I sit beside Binx in silence, she's been throwing dolls at me and yelling at me. "Prince! Would you just talk to me!" She yells as she hits me with her crown. My hand twitches in irritation, "WHAT!? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT!?" I yell. I immediately regret it when I see the tears swimming in her blue eyes. My anger washes away, I sigh and reach out for her, but Binx flinches away. "Princess...I-I'm sorry...I'm just...really tired." I mumble. She sniffles and wipes her eyes, "I-I just want you to smile Princey..." She whispers. Her reply breaks my heart, how can I smile when I feel nothing at all. The sound of the door opening catches our attention, we both turn to see who it is. My eyes widen when I see that it's Bitty, she's got bandages around her abdomen. 

Bitty looks at me and steps back in fear, "M-Miss Binx masta w-wants to see you." She stutters as she trembles in fear, I stand up and walk over to her. Gently I place my hand on her head, Bitty screams and runs over to Binx hiding behind her. "N-NO HURT BITTY AGAIN MISTA PRINCE!" She yells. I look to Binx and shake my head, "You're...the one who hurt Bitty?" Binx whispers. My hand twitches again, "I-It w-was an accident B-Binx." I stammer. My princess glares at me, she takes a couple steps towards me, I close my eyes and wait for the hit. "Y-You're just like my daddy...s-stay away from me for a bit Prince...please." Her broken plea tears my heart to shred. 

Tears swim in my eyes, "P-Princess..." I whisper. She holds her hand up and points to the door, "G-Get out." I bite my lip and nod, I leave her alone with the tiny demon I nearly killed. Out in the hall I can't hold my tears back anymore, I allow them to fall freely. 'She hates you now, just like your dad does, they all hate you~.' One of the voices in my head cooed. I close my eyes and choke back a sob, 'You're pathetic!' Another one yells. I grip my hair and run down the hall, "S-Stop it." I plead as I continue to run. 'Pathetic!' 'Useless!' I scream trying to drown out the voices. Without looking I run into someones legs, I fall back onto the floor and groan. I look up at the person I ran into, my blood runs cold. 

The Devil gives me a big toothy grin, "Let's play Prince." He says as pulls me up from the ground. Back in my dad's office I stare at the wall with no emotion, every now and then I would grimace in pain. I lost the game, again. "Prince?" I hear my father call my name, but I choose to ignore him. "Son?" He calls again as he walks over to me. He replaces the wall that I was looking at, "Prince talk to me." I blink and frown. "Daddy..." I say softly, my dad puts his hands on my shoulders. "Last night...I didn't get hurt..." I whisper. 

"You didn't? Prince what happened?" He asks as more concern fills his voice. A small smile forms on my face, "He made me play with Bitty daddy. I didn't want to, but he was going to hurt you...he said he would make me watch as he ripped your soul from your body. So...s-so I...I-I played with Bitty...I kicked her...over and over again, she screamed..a-and I-I got ten extra p-points d-daddy h-ha~." I say as my smile grows wider. My dad stares at me in shock, "P-Prince..." He whispers. A small giggle escapes my trembling lips, "I-I WON DADDY! A-AREN'T YOU PROUD!? I-I w-won."


	18. Such A Good Boy

I stare down at the bruised and battered demon, the poor thing is panting and whimpering in pain. "Did you hear that Prince? The pathetic thing whimpered~, get your extra points~." The Devil sang softly to me. I grin down at the demon and pick it up by it's horn, I gasp and drop the poor thing. No, I dropped my princess, "W-Why P-Princey..." She whimpered as she curled up on the floor. I take a step back and stare down at her with wide eyes, "P-Princess?" I stammer. Binx curls up and cries, her cries break my heart. "D-Don't touch me! Y-You're bad!!" She yells. A whimper leaves me as I take another step back, I bump into someone. I look up and scream, the Devil grabs me by my hair, "YOU PATHETIC WIMP! DESTROY HER NOW!" He yells angrily. I shake my head, tears stream down my cheeks. The Devil throws me down to the floor, "Do it or he dies." He says as he points to my dad. 

He looks worse for wear, his head is cracked in multiple places. "D-Daddy?" I whisper, my dad doesn't move. "Destroy her now, Prince." The Devil says through gritted teeth. I look up at him and then back to Binx, she's crying so hard. "I-I c-can't!" I yell as my voice cracks. He glares at me as he walks over to my dad, with his claw he slowly cuts into my dad's arm causing him to scream out in pain. "N-NO!" I yell as more tears fall down my cheeks. The Devil growls, "DESTROY HER!" He roars. With a loud cry I throw a fire ball at Binx hitting her right in the chest, I fall to my knees and sob loudly. The Devil places his hand on my head, I pant hard and cough, I can't breathe. "You're such a good boy Prince~." The Devil sings softly. I close my eyes tight, 'Y-You're bad!!' Binx's words echo through my head. 

"PRINCE WAKE UP!!" My dad's scream startles me awake. I pant hard and look up at him with wide eyes, he looks scared. A loud scream claws it's way out of my mouth, I grip my head and scream louder. "P-PRINCE WHAT'S WRONG!?" My dad yells as he pulls my into his lap. "I-I KILLED BINX!!! I-I K-KILLED HER! S-SHE'S DEAD!!!" I scream as tears fall down my cheeks. Dad hugs me tight and shushes me, "S-She's alive kiddo...i-it's okay!" He says. I bury my face in his chest, "I-I'm bad...s-so b-bad..." I whisper. A whimper escapes me as I cling onto his shirt, "I-I'm b-bad...a-and I-I'm his g-good boy.."


	19. His First Drink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince gets a hold of some scotch...

I spin around in my dad's chair bored out of my mind, Binx went to go see her mom today so I wasn't allowed to leave. I stop spinning and stare at the cabinet that's beside the door. There's bottles of yellowish liquid in there, "I didn't know dad had apple juice." I say thoughtfully as I hop out of the chair. I grab one of the leather ones in front of his desk and pull it over to the cabinet, I pull one of the doors open and grab one of the bottles. "Oh boy he's even got glasses in here!" I say happily as I grab one of the small glasses. I hop down from the chair and run back over to the desk, I set the glass on the table and pull the top off the bottle. The apple juice smells really strong, "Mm...that just means its premium apple juice!" I say happily as I pour some in the glass. I set the bottle down on the table and take the glass. I take a small sip and grimace, it doesn't taste like apple juice, but dang is it warming. 

After having a few more glasses of the apple juice, I began to feel a little dizzy. "T-This...i-is some good juice." I slur as I struggle to pour another glass. "PRINCE PUT THAT DOWN!" I jump and turn around, my dad is standing in the threshold of the door. My surprise turns to anger, "D-DON'T TELL ME WHAT TA DO YA SKINNY MALINKY LONGLEGS!!" I yell as I drink my apple juice quickly and throw the glass at him. My dad ducks and stares at me then at the broken glass, "WHERE DID YOU LEARN SCOTTISH SLANG!? AND YOU'RE AN ANGRY DRUNK!!" He yells. "S-SHUT IT YOU TATTYBOGGLE!!" I scream as I throw the half empty bottle of apple juice at him. He ducks again, "DEVIL!!" He yells. 

The Devil walks in casually, "What is Di-." "AND YOU- YA NO GOOD DUNDERHEAD! FUCK YE AND YE FUCKING LIFE" I yell as I throw a cup of pens at him. The Devil's eyes widen as he ducks down, "When'd he start speaking Scottish?!" He asks my dad. Dad throws his hands in the air, "I DON'T KNOW!! DID YOU GIVE HIM MY SCOTCH!?" He yells. The Devil looks as if he had been slapped, "I HAVEN'T BEEN IN HERE!" He yells. I groan and hold my stomach, "D-Dad..." I say. Their bickering stops as they both look at me, "AH SHIT HE'S GONNA PUKE!" The Devil yells. Dad runs to get the trashcan, but it was already too late. 

"Prince," my dad's stern voice catches my attention. I look up from my bowl of cereal, I didn't want it but dad said you have to eat after you drink something so heavy. "Yes dad?" I reply as I take another bite of cereal, he looks as if he's fighting off a smile. "P-Prince, the stuff in the cabinet is not juice son. It's alcohol, next time you want something to drink call into the casino and I'll bring you something." He explains. I shift in my seat and look down at my cereal, "It was really good though." I mumble, my dad startles me with one of his hearty laughs. I look up at him and watch as he doubles over with laughter. "W-Well son it might have been good, but you're too young to be drinking that stuff, maybe when you're older I'll let you drink some more." He says as he tries to catch his breath. I scoff quietly and eat some more cereal, "I'm gonna drink more anyways.."


	20. Protect Him

I whine in pain when I'm thrown into the wall, I pant hard and look up at the bigger demon. I look over to the Devil and see that he is grinning, "I-I c-can't win this! H-He's t-too big!" I yell as I struggle to stand. "Tap into that power you got boy! I know you got just a little from your good for nothing father." Says the Devil as he lights up another cigar. I clench my fists and glare at him, "H-He's not good for nothing y-you ass!" I yell. I hate that I'm cursing now, but it's so hard not to when you're around him. A sinister grin stretches across the Devil's face, "Your father is a good for nothing sinner, he's worthless! He couldn't even keep his own casino running, he had to come to me for help!" He yells. A growl leaves my trembling lips, I can feel my hands heating up. I look to the demon who was laughing at what he was saying about my dad. "O-Oh you think its funny?" I ask as I take a step towards the demon. 

The demon stops laughing and stares at me with wide eyes, I giggle softly, my lip and left hand is twitching again. "Y-You know what's funny to me~?" I sing softly. The demon looks scared, he looks so terrified of me. I laugh and hold up a fire ball in the palm of my left hand, "I-It's so funny that you're scared of an eight-year-old!!" I yell as I throw the fire ball at the demon. An ear shattering scream leaves the demon when the fire ball hits it right in the chest, I laugh at it's pain and run towards it, "T-TEN POINTS~!" I sing as I land a swift kick to the demons abdomen. "M-MASTA MAKE THE BOY STOP!" It yells as it holds its clawed hand out to the Devil. 

The Devil smirks, "I'm sorry Azazel, but you laughed at his poor ol' dad." He says as he takes a long drag from his cigar. I growl and start to kick the demon repeatedly, "IS MY DAD FUNNY NOW!? HUH IS HE!?" I scream as my kicks grow harder. Azazel stops moving, my hand twitches aching to throw another fire ball, "DON'T JUST STAND THERE PRINCE! END HIM!" The Devil roars from behind me. I grin and let a fire ball form in the palm of my hand, 'Kill him~.' A voice sang in my head. I blink and let the fire ball extinguish, a whimper escapes me as I fall to my knees. "I-I c-can't..." I whisper. I can hear the devil's pounding footsteps coming up behind me, "What do you mean you can't?" He seethes as he grips my hair. "I-I can't kill him!" I yell. 

The Devil throws me back and stands in between me and Azazel, "It's easy as one. two..." My eyes widen as a blue poker chip forms under the demon, "Three~." The Devil sings as blue fire engulfs the demon. I stare in horror as Azazel burns to death, his screams tears my heart to pieces. The Devil turns to look at me, "See it's easy. Now the next time you're here, I expect you to kill your opponent, because if you don't Prince." He bends down so that he is face to face with me. "Your daddy will be playing the game with me, and you don't want that do you?" He asks softly. I shake my head and fight back the tears in my eyes, he pats my head and scratches it gently with his claws. "Such a good boy Prince...now go on, wouldn't want your father to find out about our little night time routine." He says as he walks away. 

I walk into my dad's office slowly, he's asleep at his desk still. Slowly I tip toe over to him, I shake his arm gently. Slowly his green eyes open, he looks at me and gives me a tired smile. "H-Hey kiddo...bad dream?" He asks while yawning. I nod and hold my arms up to him, dad pushes his chair back a little and picks me up setting me on his lap. I curl up and lay my head on his chest, "Mm...i-it's okay Prince...daddy will protect you." He mumbles as he falls back to sleep. I cling to his under shirt and nuzzle his chest, "No daddy...I'll protect you..."


	21. You're Bad

It's been a month since the cups took me away from my home, and this month has been pure hell. First of all, the woman that the cups placed me with enrolled me in a normal school. I told her that I've never been to school before, but she refused to believe me. To top it off, on the first day of school someone made fun of me for looking like my dad! Like hello? What else do expect his son to look like, I told Cup Head about it but he didn't seem to care too much, just said that the kids didn't know my dad was Kingsley Dice. "Well, we have to tell them! I don't like how they call me rude names, or how they put my dad down as some crazy dice lover!" I yell at the bored looking cup. He sighs and rubs his head, "Listen Dice kid, no one can know that your dad is King Dice. That might make things worse for you." He explains as he places his hand on my shoulder. I glare up at him, how would he know? My dad is the most feared person in Inkwell, it just might stop these stupid remarks about him and me. 'Or, you could always play the game with them~.' The small voice in the back of my mind comes to life. It's been a month since I heard it, all the voices I've ever heard had been at bay, must be because I'm not around him. 

"Eh..? Prince? Your hand is twitching are you okay?" Mug Man asks as he places his hand on my shoulder. I ball my left hand into a fist and fake a smile, "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" The thought of playing the game with one of the bullies fills me with an odd pleasure, and I don't like it one bit. "Dice kid, you should probably stop wearing that crown too. I say that's why kids are makin fun of ya so bad." Cup Head suggests as he takes my princess's crown off of my head. I glare at him and snatch it away from him, "This is my princess's crown, and I'm keeping it. I don't care what those jerks say if they say anything about it...then we'll just have to...play~." I whisper the last part as a shaky grin stretches across my face. I can feel the cups' worried stares burn into me, but right now I really don't care. A quiet giggle leaves my trembling lips as I imagine playing the game with one of my bullies, their screams sound quite nicely in my head right now. 

The next day, when recess rolls around I decide to sit away from the other children. I watch as they all run around the playground, I frown at their happiness. "What's to be happy with running around a stupid playground?" I mumble to myself as I look down at the grass. "Hey, Butch look at this dork!" I look up and see two pigs standing in front of me, they're both quite large for their age. "Ah, come on Bruce, leave the new kid alone would ya?" Says the other as he flashes me an apologetic look. "Leave him alone? I can't leave this dork alone when he wears a stupid princess crown!" The known as Bruce exclaims while laughing loudly. My hand began to twitch in anger, I bite my lip and hold my hand down. "The kid ain't doin nothin to ya Bruce! Just leave em alone." Butch pleads again. Bruce leans forward and smirks, "Awe, is the King Dice wanna be gettin mad? If you're gettin mad then do somethin about it." He says as he knocks Binx's crown off of my head. I narrow my eyes dangerously at the over confidant swine as I stand up, I barely come to his chest. I stare up at him, I can feel my upper lip twitching uncontrollably. I grin at the pig as I allow my left hand to twitch freely now. 

"H-Hey Bruce~ wanna play a game~?" I sing softly as I stare at the pig. I notice the fear that flashes behind his eyes for a moment, Bruce scoffs and stands tall. "What kind of game eh?" He asks. A small giggle escapes me as I rear back fist, "I-ITS CALLED DON'T SCREAM~!" I yell as I punch the much larger being down to the ground. A pathetic whimper leaves the pigs mouth, I laugh loudly and kick him hard in the face. "T-TEN POINTS FOR ME BRUCIE~!" I sing loudly as I kick him over and over again, the odd pleasure flares up again. The feeling of just hurting someone else sent a shiver of delight down my spine, "H-Hey! S-Stop that!" Yelled Butch as he pushed me back down, I growled and glared up at him. Before I could stand back up, he and his friend had fled, I scream in anger as I begin to kick at the ground. 'Y-You're bad!' I stop my temper tantrum when I hear my princess's scared voice echo in my head, 'You're just like my daddy...' I close my eyes tight and try to control my breathing.

I bite my lip hard and clench my fists, "I-I'm nothing like him princess...I-I promise." I whisper as I sit back down on the ground, I pick up Binx's crown and place it back on my head. I pull my knees to my chest and bury my face in my arms, Binx's scared and hurt voice keeps repeating, 'You're bad...' Over and over in my head. I grip my arm tight and bite my lip to suppress a whimper, "I-I'm not bad...I promise..."


	22. My Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince is now an adult! But an adult with serious issues...

'Prince~ oh Prinncceee~.' The Devil's voice sang, I look around like a caged animal. "W-Where am I? W-What happened to my office?" I ask no one as I look around the dark room for answers. The sinister laugh that plagued my dreams as a child wraps around me, I shudder in fear as I take a step back. "I-It's okay Prince, it's just a hallucination, you've dealt with these before." I tell myself as I close my eyes. The laughter only grew louder, 'Oh, how rich! Even when you're grown you're still pathetic!' Sneers the Devil. I ball my hands into fists and try to control my shaking, 'Don't fall for it...he's just goading you on.' I take a calming breath and slowly let it out, 'P-PRINCEY HELP!' My eyes snap open at the new voice, it was a voice that I hadn't heard in over thirteen years. "P-Princess?" I stammer as I look around. In the distance I see two small figures, I squint at them. Slowly I begin to walk forward, when I'm close enough to see I freeze on the spot. It's a younger version of myself, and in front of me lies Binx barely conscious. 

'DESTROY HER!' The Devil's low growl causes me to jump, I stare at my younger self with wide eyes. With a loud sob the smaller me throws a fire ball, hitting Binx right in the chest. I felt my heart break, I remember this, I remember my dad waking me up. "P-PRINCE WHAT'S WRONG!?" "I-I KILLED BINX!! I-I KILLED HER! S-SHE'S DEAD!!" I close my eyes tight and try to block the memory. A small whimper leaves my mouth, I sink down to my knees and grip my left arm tight. Phantom pains from the past hit all at once, I scream out in pain as tears slip down my cheeks. 

'WAS THAT A SCREAM I HEARD~? OH BOY PRINCE DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!?' Another whimper escapes me, 'P-Please no...' I thought as I bit down on my bottom lip. "I.Get.Ten.Extra.Points~." The Devil's voice sounded as if he was right behind me. I scream and curl in on myself, "N-NO! P-PLEASE!! I-I'VE B-BEEN A G-GOOD BOY P-PLEASE!!" I yell as I go from fearless chief of the PD to a whimpering child in a mere second. The Devil's warm breath tickles the side of my head as he whispers, "I still have your daddy's soul~. Since you've been gone he's been playing our game with me boy~." I choke back a sob as I try to ignore the Devil's words, there was no way that my father would ever let that bastard hurt him. 'P-Princely...' My head snaps up when I hear that familiar smooth voice. I stare with wide eyes, my dad was sitting right in front of me, but something didn't feel right. 

Dad's eyes looked empty, the usual light that shined in them was just gone. It was replaced by nothing, the same nothing that replaced my once brilliant light. "D-Dad?" I stutter as I reach to touch him. He flinches away and stares at me with wide green eyes, 'T-This is your f-fault. If you hadn't been taken by the cups I would be fine! YOU PROMISED TO PROTECT US!' He yells angrily. I flinch at his words, I look down at my hands, my left one is twitching. 'N-No...I-I over came that w-what's happening?' My inner voice sounds panicked. I glance up at my dad, his green eyes hold disgust in them, 'I hate you, I wish that the cups had just killed you.' He seethes as he glares at me. Something within me snaps, tears spill over my eyes as my breathing quickens. 'N-No...N-NO! I-I C-CAME OVER T-THIS I-I'M NOT BROKEN ANYMORE!!'

"MISTER POTTS!" I jump at the loud yell, I turn to look at the person who yelled at me. One of my newest recruits, Grim is flying next to my desk looking concerned. I look around my office and sigh in relief, "W-What is it Grim?" I ask as I try to calm my breathing. "Ah...the cup children are here sir." He says as he stares at me for a moment, I can sense his fear. I raise my eyebrow and tilt my head, "Something wrong Grim?" I ask. He looks away for a moment before he chances another glance at me, "Ah, nothing sir, shall I send in the children?" I give him a small smile and nod, when the dragon leaves I sigh again and lay my head down on my desk. 'I hate you,' my left hand twitches a little when my father's words repeat back in my head. I use my other hand to stop the twitching, "I'm not that same scared little boy from thirteen years ago, I'm Princely Potts...fearless chief of the Inkwell PD.."


	23. Did You Do It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kingsley really misses his little blue boy...

It's been two months since I lost my son, it hasn't gotten any easier. Binx hasn't asked about him, I brought him up to her once, but she acted as if she didn't remember him. I glare at the empty glass in front of me, I've fallen back into drinking, and that's not good for business. A soft knock on my office door sneaks its way through my drunken haze, I groan and sit up straight. "C-Come in!" I curse myself for slurring those two simple words. "Dice buddy w- holy hell it smells like a tavern in here." Says boss as he walks in, I glare at him and watch as he closes the door behind him. "T-That's cause I've been drinking you, idiot," I slur angrily. Boss frowns and places his hand on his hip, I lay my head back down on my desk not caring that I've upset him. "What is with you? It's been two months since Prince's death! You gotta pull yourself together!" He yells. I ball my hands into fists and stand from my chair. 

"PULL MYSELF TOGETHER!? I LOST MY SON! MY PRIDE AND JOY!! AND YOU JUST WANT ME TO FORGET HE EVER EXISTED!?" I yell. My lip is twitching uncontrollably, I know that the boss hated my son but for fuck's sake let a man mourn! The Devil gives me a bored look, "Dice, buddy, you're a man, go out there and make another kid." I twitch in irritation, I walk out from behind my desk and stand in front of the Devil. "Could you do that? Huh? If you lost your she-devil daughter, could you honestly go out and just 'make' another one just like her? Could you really do that boss?" I say through gritted teeth. He sighs and put his hand on my shoulder, I jerk away from him and glare. "I-I know you hated my son, but can you please just SHOW A LITTLE BIT OF COMPASSION FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!?" I yell as angry tears slip down my cheeks. The Devil frowns, for a moment I could have sworn that I saw sadness flash into his eyes. 

"Listen...Dice...I know you're grieving...I just don't want you to sit in here and let this eat you up inside. You're already drinking, that's not going to help you move on." His voice is unceremoniously soft. I choke back a sob and bite my bottom lip, Devil sighs and turns to leave. "D-Did you do it?" My voice cracks, that's the question that's been on my mind since he told me the cups killed my little boy. A small chuckle leaves my trembling lips, "D-Did y-you? B-Because those kids d-didn't kill any of the debtors, t-they didn't even kill y-you or me...s-so why would t-they kill my son?" My words come out shakily. Devil turns to look at me, he looks as if I slapped him across the face, "Dice...I may have beaten the boy...but I could never kill a child...did...did I ever tell you his final words?" My heart constricts at his reply. I shake my head, I'm not sure if I believe him, but he just looks so sincere. Devil fully faces me and puts both his hands on my shoulders, "He said...to tell you that he loves you...he tried to say something else...but it was too late." My heart shatters. 

I hold back a sob, I look down and close my eyes. "Dice?" Devil calls softly to me, I look up at him and sniffle, "I-I'll...g-get back t-to work tomorrow...I promise...just...g-give me time." I whisper. He gives me a small smile and nods, he turns to leave, "Prince would want you to get back to work Dice, he knew how much you loved it." Those were his final words before he left. When the door clicked shut behind him, I fell to my knees. I stare down at the floor and watch as my tears plop down onto the tile, 'Will you protect me from the bad dreams daddy?' I close my eyes tight when I hear my little boys question in my head, "T-That's my j-job kiddo..." 

~Devil~

I groan with frustration, if I would have known that the kid being gone would have cause this much trouble then I would have tried to get him back from the cup boys. 

~Flash back~

"D-DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!! P-PLEASE! I-I'LL BE GOOD!" Yelled Prince as the two cup children tried to drag him out of the throne room. I groan and look over to them, they had just burned my soul contracts, Prince was struggling in their hold. I slowly stand from my throne and limp over to them, "CUP WE BETTER HURRY!!" Yelled Mug Man, I hold my hand up. The two cups stare up at me in horror, while Prince smiles in relief. I snatch the crown off his head, and stare at him blankly. "You boys better go before my strength returns, because once it does, I'll make all three of you pay." I say as I turn back to my throne. "N-NO! D-DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!!" I block out Prince's screams and take my place back on my throne. The doors that lead into my office slam open minutes later, I look up and see that it's Dice, he's holding my daughter. "B-Boss...w-where's Prince?" 

I sigh heavily and pinch the bridge of my nose, "What am I going to do if the brat ever decides to come back?" I ask myself. I guess I'll just have to kill him for real if ever does decide to come back, or try to get him on my side.


	24. Echo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prince is slowly slipping into madness...

I sigh heavily and lean back in my chair, the meeting with the heroes children was very tiring. Ol' Elder Kettle allowed the two brats to join the PD, "They're just going to be a problem like their fathers." I mumble as I rub my face. Mug Man's kid is just so, irritating, not the shy thing that his father used to be, and Cup's little girl, eh...she's not too bad. "How am I supposed to run this place and watch over new recruits? Mm...maybe I can start them out with a desk job like Hops." I say to myself as I glance over to the mirror hanging on my wall. My body tenses with fear, "W-What the hell?" I stutter as I stand from my chair. I get closer to the mirror and take in my appearance, everything looks the same except..my eyes. They're not green, what happened to the green? They...they look red? I laugh nervously and back away from the mirror, "I-I'm just seeing things...meeting those kids has brought back memories that...shouldn't be here." I say softly as I try to look away from the mirror.

'You're just like him, just look at your eyes!' I flinch and bite my bottom lip, "N-No...I...I'm just dreaming it's okay, I'm okay, the voices aren't real." I say as I try to reassure myself. Another voice laughs loudly, 'Oh, we're real Princey~! Did you miss us?' The voice that laughed cooed softly. I chuckle as I grab my left hand to hold it still, "N-No, y-you're not. I...I-I'm not broken anymore, I'm fixed." I curse myself for talking back to the voices. 'Those little cups dug up old bones~, just the mere thought of their fathers brought us back~.' My upper lip begin to twitch a little, why did the cup children have to resemble their father's so much? 'Their daddy's took you from yours~, why not take them from theirs~?' Another voice suggested softly. I close my eyes tight, "N-No, I can't d-do that. T-The cup boys were only trying t-to help me." I say softly. All at once the voices began to laugh loudly in my head, 'Oh please! You begged them to take you back, "I-I WANT MY DADDY!!" SO PATHETIC!' I flinch as the voice became harsher. My left hand begins to twitch uncontrollably, the familiar fear from my youth constricts around my heart. 

'Do you still want your daddy Prince? Hmm~? Do you~?' I clench my fists and growl, frustrated tears swim in my eyes. "S-Shut u-up..." I whisper. The voices begin to laugh again, 'So pathetic! Lookit he's a grown man and he's crying! I'm sure daddy would love to see how weak you are...but wait...' I closed my eyes tight, willing the voices to just stop. 'Daddy's probably dead, you failed him, the Devil ripped his soul out, because you weren't there to protect him.' I scream in anger and frustration and punch my desk, "S-SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" The voices stop talking, I pant hard and feel my tears finally slip down my cheeks. 'Your fault~.' I chuckle softly and back up until my back is against the wall, 'Pathetic~.' Through bleary eyes I notice that my office door stands open, everyone of my crew watches me with wide eyes. I laugh and slide down to the floor, 'Useless~.' I laugh a little harder as more tears fall, 'You're such a good boy Prince~.' That final voice pushed me over the edge, I couldn't control my twitching, a small grin formed on my face. "S-SIR WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" I heard one of the crew members call. 

I stand from my spot on the floor and walk out of my office, I'm greeted with loud screams and a familiar laugh. I look up and see a demon with curled back horns flying above. "Alright boys~! I'll make this easy on ya, hand over this joint and I won't kill ya~!" I stare at the small demon and frown. "And what makes you think I'm going to make it that easy for ya?" I ask. She grins, "Because you'll have no choice, allow me to introduce myself, I'm Binx, Princess of Hell." My eyes widen in realization, Binx shoots a fire ball at me. I dodge it and growl, I don't want to fight her but I will. 'Can you kill her this time~?' A voice whispers from the back of my mind, a shaky grin stretches across my face. "Let's play she-devil~."


	25. Help

Today had been a slow day in the casino, and honestly I was beginning to grow bored. If I knew I wouldn't get in trouble I'd go hang out in the office with Prince, I sigh and lean on my hand glancing around the large lobby. My wondering green eyes spot one of the debtor's those cup boys were after, Dr. Kahl. I hum to myself, I stand from my seat at the bar and make my way over to the doctor. He was sitting in front of one of the slot machines, wasting away his life savings like a good sinner. I smile and tap his shoulder lightly, "Dr. Kahl, what a pleasant surprise seeing you here." I say when I catch his attention. The good doctor swivels around to face me, his smile anything but friendly. "What do you want Dice? Here to swindle more cash from me?" He asks with a bitter tone. I frown and rub my arm, "Ah...no I'm not...I...I actually want to ask you a favor." I say quietly so that only he could hear me. I glance around nervously, I don't see the boss anywhere in sight. The good doctor raises his eyebrows at me, "A favor? What type of favor you conman?" He asks his tone matching mine. I chew my bottom lip, Prince is going to hate me for this. "How much do you know about mental health?" 

Dr. Kahl blinks in surprise, "I uh...know quite a bit, why do you ask?" I sigh heavily and take another nervous glance around the room, "Is...I-Is there anyway you can help...h-help me with my son?" I ask a tad bit more quietly. I can't have anyone knowing about this, I'm freaking King Dice if anyone were to hear me ask for help then I'd never hear the end of it. The good doctor tilts his head, "Your son? Why Dice I never knew you had a child." I can't help but smile, just the mention of my little prince brings a genuine smile to my face. Dr. Kahl relaxes a little and returns my smile, "By the looks of your face he's really special to you." I scoff and grin, "Of course he is! My little Prince is the best thing that's ever happened to me, he's got a soul so bright that you'd have to squint to see it! Though...now...it's...i-it's dulled...and it's because that evil bastard." I hiss as I ball my hands into fists. I tense when I feel the doctor place his hand on my shoulder, I look at him, I can see the concern etched onto his face. "Listen, I don't like you, but...if your son is in trouble, and you really think I can help you with him...then I'll try, I just have to see the boy." I relax a little. I flash the doctor a wide grin, "Stick around after everyone else leaves and I'll take ya to my pride and joy...but...when you meet him...please be careful with what you say...he's...fragile." I reply softly. 

I glance around again and tense up when I see boss looking down at me from the upper floors. I straighten my stance and clear my throat, "Return to your game doctor." I say as professionally as I can when I turn to leave. I head back over to the bar and retake my seat, "Aye, Dice? Isn't that yer kid over there at the Craps table?" Asked Mr. Wheezy. I blink and look over at the table, I feel my eye twitch in irritation, sure enough Prince was at the table...playing a game? I stand up and take three big strides over to the table. "Aye Dice! Ya kid's a natural at this ere' game!" Mangosteen exclaimed when I approached the table. I ignore him and walk right up to Prince, he hasn't even noticed me standing there. Before he could throw the dice in his hands I grab his wrist, "Princely Dice, what are you doing in here?" I ask sternly. I tense when my son looks up at me, his eyes...they...they're yellow. "I'm playing a game, go away." His voice sounds void of emotion. I shake off my shock and pick him up, "N-No you're not! You're supposed to be in the office young man!" I yell while glaring. Prince gives me his own glare, and honestly? It sends a chill down my spine. Princely shakes the hand that holds the dice, I growl softly. "If you throw those dice, I swear to Lucifer you will be grounded." I say through gritted teeth. 

Prince smirks at me and throws the dice onto the table, "Bet it was a win dad." The way Prince said dad unnerved me, I glance over at the table, he rolled a seven, a freaking seven without looking. I glare, "You did win, you know what you won? A grounding for two weeks." I say angrily as I carry him out of the lobby. The look on his face breaks my heart, but I ignore it, he's a troubled boy, but that does not give him the right to disrespect me. I open the door to my office and walk inside, "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you better get out of it right now." I say sternly as I place him down in my chair. Prince glares up at me, I've never seen him hold so much...hatred in his eyes before. I sigh and bend down so that we are face to face, "Princely...what's wrong?" I ask softly. A soft growl leaves his trembling mouth, "You're what's wrong with me. Go away." His words stab into my heart like a dagger. I stand up and clear my throat, I walk back to the door. "I'll...be bringing someone in here to speak to you okay?" My words go unacknowledged. I sigh and walk out closing the door behind me, "Everything okay suga?" Asked Pirouletta as I retook my seat at the bar for the second time. I look at her with tired eyes and sigh heavily, "No...n-no everything...is not okay Pirouletta..." I mumble as I lay my head down. 

~Prince~

I glare at the closed door angrily, who the hell is he to ground me? Over what? For playing a game? A quiet growl leaves me, "I hate him." I say angrily as I hop down from the chair. I walk over to the cabinet that holds his favorite alcohol, I grab one of the leather chairs in front of his desk and push it over to the cabinet. I climb up in the seat and open the cabinet door, I grab one of the bottles and glare at it, "You don't deserve this." I say as I throw the half full bottle at the wall. I glare at the other bottles and take them out throwing them at the wall, "I'm stronger then his pathetic ass, he's just a good for nothing lackey." I spat angrily as I throw another bottle of booze at the wall. When the door to the office swings open I don't move, I stare and wait for my dad to come in. He walks in with a guy in a white coat behind him, "Dr. Kahl this is my son Pri-...Princely what are you doing?" Dad asks when he finally notices me at the alcohol cabinet. I glare at him and grab another bottle, not breaking eye contact with him. Slowly he begins to glare at me, "You put that back right now young man." He says sternly. My glare deepens as I throw the bottle at the wall. 

"Ah...Dice? Maybe I should talk to the boy alone? He seems to uh...not be too keen with you right now." Says the man in the white coat, it was as if he could sense my dad's anger. I smirk at my dad, "I think the good doctor is right dad, leave." I say angrily. My dad twitches at my tone, but leaves me and the doctor alone in his office. The doctor gives me a small smile, I frown at him, "Ah...Hello, my name is Dr. Kahl. Your father has asked me to come speak to you, saying you need help." My frown deepens, the doctor and I have a stare off. I notice him fidgeting uncomfortably under my gaze. His eyes look away from mine for a moment, he's looking down at my arm. I glance down and notice that my sleeve is pulled up, I pull it down. "Did...your father do that to you?" Dr. Kahl asks. His question causes my heart to drop, my chest tightens with fear. I look down at my shoes and bite my lip, "N-No...and it's none of your damn business with what happened to me." I say as my anger returns. The Doctor's eyes show pity, I glare at him. "I don't need your pity, after all you did sign your soul over to the Devil. I should be the one pitying you." I say with a smirk on my face. 

The doctor visibly tenses at my words, "Ho ho~ did I strike a nerve doc~?" I sing as I hop down from the chair. The Devil would be so proud of me right now, "Princely...I know this isn't how you normally act...your father said so." I growl at the doctor, "What the hell would he know? He barely comes around me anymore because of his stupid job, he let's that stupid demon bea-..." I cut myself off and walk behind my dad's desk. I can feel the doctor's concern rolling off of him in waves, "Princely...is...is someone hurting you here?" He asks softly as he takes a step closer to me. I close my eyes and ball my hands into fists, "N-No...l-leave me alone." I whisper, hoping he would just leave. Dr. Kahl bends so that we are face to face, I look up at him and glare. "You can tell me abou-." "NO I CAN'T! DAD FOUND OUT AND IT JUST GOT WORSE!!" I yell as I push the annoying doctor away. I glare at the doctor and pant heavily, "G-GET THE HELL OUT!! LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yell as I form a fire ball in my hand. Dr. Kahl holds his hands up and slowly backs away, "Okay, okay calm down. I'm going okay?" He says as he backs up to the door. I deflate once he leaves the office, I pull my knees to my chest. 'Look at that~! The Devil's little pet is starting to act like him~! How cute~!' Tears swim in my eyes, "S-Shut up..."


	26. Help Pt. 2

I heard my son's screams, it took all my willpower to not walk back into my office. I raise my brow in question when I see Dr. Kahl back out of the room slowly, he close the door and sighs in relief. "Well?" I ask. The good doctor jumps and turns to face me, he looks as if he's seen a ghost, "A-Ah...D-Dice...your...has your son been abused sir?" He asks. My heart does a back flip, I clench my jaw and try my best to control my anger. "Yes, he has, but I didn't do it, so don't even think about asking that. The...Devil...did it..." I trail off, flashes of my sons scared face of the day I left him alone flashes in my head. I growl ball my hands into fists, "H-He...beats my poor little prince Kahl...h-he beats him and b-burns him. I've done talked to the bastard once, but it seems that it hasn't worked." I spat angrily. The doctor sighs and places his hand on my trembling shoulder, "Listen, Dice, it seems that Prince is scared to talk about it, and it also seems that he is holding some resentment towards you." I blink and tilt my head, 'Resentment against me?' I frown at the doctor. "I don't understand," I reply. Kahl sighs and squeezes my shoulder, "Usually, abuse victims hold resentments towards their parents. They feel as if you do not care about what is happening to them." 

My frown deepens, "But...I...I-I do care! I even fought the bastard! You see these cracks!? It was because of him!" I yell feeling defensive. Dr. Kahl holds his hands up, "Sir...the Devil could be drilling it in his psyche that you don't care, your boy...his terrified, he had said that when you found out it has gotten worse. Did you know about this?" I tense at this, the...the only thing Prince had told me about was how he...attacked Bitty. "O-Oh no...he...h-he told me what that bastard made him do...a-and I just..." Words fail me as I fight back the tears that have formed in my eyes, "Dice? What...What did the Devil make him do?" Kahl asks softly. Without warning my tears begin to fall freely, I don't bother to wipe them away. "H-He forced my boy to fight a small demon by the name of Bitty...P-Prince nearly killed her..." I whisper. "You don't suppose...that the Devil has made him kill anyone do you?" When I go to answer him, I'm cut off by a loud scream from inside my office. "I-I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" Prince screamed loudly. "W-We'll finish this talk later!" I say quickly before I slip inside my office. 

The room was a mess, papers were everywhere, the chairs were knocked over, and the broken bottles of scotch laid in a corner. I look around the room and notice Prince huddled in a corner clawing furiously at his arms. I quickly walk over to him and stoop down in front of him, "Princely? Can you hear me kiddo?" I ask softly as I pull him into a gentle embrace. Prince's loud sobs break my heart, "L-LET GO!! I-I HATE YOU!!" He screams as he struggles in my hold, I tighten my hold on him. "P-Princely it's okay...calm down..." I say softly as I stroke his hair. Slowly his struggling comes to a stop, he buries his face in my chest and sobs. I move around so my back is against the wall, I run my fingers through my son's hair and begin to sing softly. I smile a little when I feel my son begin to relax in my arms, his sobs have died down to a couple of sniffles and hiccups. Slowly my little prince's breathing begins to even out, within seconds he's asleep. I sigh heavily and nuzzle his hair gently, "I'll make it better Princely...I promise..."


	27. A Little Push

   I watch silently as the boy struggles to kill the now unconscious demon, "Prince, what are you waiting for? End the pathetic waste of space." I say as I take a long drag from my cigar. The trembling boy turns to look at me, he's got tears in his glowing green eyes. "I-I c-can't...h-he's never done anything to me." I frown at how pathetic he sounds. I stand from my throne and grab my trident, slowly I begin to make my way over to the boy. Slowly he begins to shrink in on himself, I glare down at him and grab his hand. "Maybe I should give you a little push," I say as I force him to take hold of my trident. He shudders at the magic, I smirk down at him. I knew that he could feel the magic as soon as he touched it. His grip tightens on the trident, slowly he looks up at me, my smirk widens when I see the slight tint of yellow in his eyes. "Go on now Prince, kill the demon." I say softly. The boy flashes me a shaky grin as he turns back to the demon, I watch in amusement as the boy throws flaming cards at the demon, each card going straight to the creatures heart. Within seconds the demon turned to dust, I pull the trident from Prince's hand and pet his hair, "Good job kiddo~! You won, I'm so proud of you~!" I say softly. Prince looks up at me, I hold back a flinch, the boy's eyes still have the yellow tint. His eyes slowly shift over to my trident, I tighten my hold on it and growl. 

   Prince squeaks and looks back up at me, the yellow tint has faded. I relax a little, "Alright, you're done for tonight. Get back to your dad." I say as I turn back to my throne, when the doors to my throne room shut I let out a deep sigh. "Maybe...letting him hold this was a bad idea..." 

~Prince~

    My body still hums with the Devil's power, touching the trident sent a jolt of energy through me, but now that I'm not holding it I feel...sick. I groan and walk into my dad's office, he's sitting at his desk filling out some papers. He looks up and gives me a small smile, "Hey kiddo! Have fun with Binx?" He asks. I just nod and stumble over to one of the chairs in front of his desk, gosh why do I feel so sick? I curl up in the chair and close my eyes, I just wanna sleep...sleep is good.


	28. One More Touch

    I fidget in my dad's seat, all day I've felt so giddy. I just can't hold still, it's as if the Devil's magic is still running through my body, and boy does it feel amazing. I hop down from the chair and open the door, I walk out and run down the hall and across the lobby really fast. "GAH- PRINCE!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" I heard my dad called, I turn to look at him over my shoulder. "I'MGOINGTOPLAYWITHBINX!!!" I say really fast as I continue to run. I can't believe I just lied to my dad, I run towards the Devil's office and slam the door open. The fuzzy demon king jumps at the sudden noise, I pant softly and stare at him. He frowns in confusion, "What are you doing here? You know tha-" "Let me touch it, j-just one more time." I cut him off as I close the door to his office and lock it. He blinks again and takes his unlit cigar from his mouth. "Touch what?" He asks in confusion. I growl in irritation and point to his trident, "T-That! J-Just one more touch please? I can't...I-I can't sit still and I don't like it." I say softly. The Devil's tail sways slowly behind him as he frowns, "Why should I let you hold this again? It's obviously not doing you any good." Another growl leaves me as I take a step towards him. 

    "What the hell would you know about what's good and not good for me?" I spat angrily. My words catch the demon king off guard, he actually seems shocked. "Did...Did you just curse at me? You usually only curse when we fight sport." I twitch and growl again taking another step forward, "Ooh~ is a couple curse words scaring the big bad Devil~?" I sing softly as I lean on his desk smirking. The Devil's mouth falls open in shock, then slowly he begins to laugh loudly. I frown and glare at the monster, "What's so fucking funny?" I say, my tone void of any emotions. He stops laughing and stares at me, "Listen...Prince I can't let you hold the trident, it was a mistake to let you hold it last night." A loud growl leaves my mouth as I throw a couple of cards at the monster, I successfully pin him and his tail to his chair. His eyes widen as he looks at the cards that now hold him captive, "If you won't let me touch it, then I'll just have to do it without your permission." I say softly as I walk over behind his desk. The Devil growls as he tries to free himself, "Princely Dice do not make me get your father!" He yells. I smirk at him, "He wouldn't believe you stupid, you've hurt me, and he's caught you. Daddy doesn't trust you~." I sing as I take hold of his trident. 

    I shudder at the power and tighten my grip, a small giggle leaves my mouth. "O-Oh boy I could get use to this~!" I say happily as I twirl the trident around. I look at the Devil and smirk, "L-Let's play!" I can't help the excitement in my tone as I point the trident at the Devil, his eyes widen as he tries to break away from the cards. I hear a small whimper escape the fuzzy abomination, I laugh loudly. "OH BOY DEVIL~! GUESS WHO JUST TEN EXTRA POINTS!" I yell as I shoot a ray of magic at him, before I could hit him he broke free from the cards. I growl, "HOLD STILL!" 

~Devil~

    "HOLD STILL!" The kid yells as he aims another shot at me, I roll out of the way and glare at the boy. The yellow in his eyes is growing brighter, "P-Prince put the trident down! NOW!" I yell, but my command falls on deaf ears as he shoots again. I duck down and curse silently, the only one who can talk some sense into him is his father, but I can't call him in here, he'll think I made the little shit grab it. I take a breath, "I hate brat, but now I gotta save him from becoming...well me." I say to myself as I stand up, I tense slightly. His vibrant green eyes are starting to turn red, "Damn it Prince you're turning into me!" I yell hoping to snap the kid out of it. His smirk just widens as he points the trident at me again, "I don't care~. Maybe I'll be better than you!" He yells. Oh that was it, I growl and tackle the kid. He squirms under me and tries to kick me off, I rip the trident from his hand and hold so he couldn't grab it again. Prince screams and kicks his legs harder, "GIVE IT BACK YOU ASSHOLE!!!" I flinch at his scream, I don't know who's worse, this dice kid or my banshee daughter. 

    His screams grow louder, "DADDY!!!!" He screams at the top of his lungs. I curse under my breath and get off the squirming kid. Prince hops up and pants hard, he glances over to the window that I have to keep an eye on the Casino lobby. He runs over to it and begins to pound on it and screaming for his father. I glance out the window and see Kingsley running, "YOU LITTLE SHIT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO PIN YOUR STUPIDITY ON ME!" I yell angrily. Prince turns to look at me, I shudder in fear at his stare. The yellow tint is there, and his eyes...just look so empty. "Watch me~." He sings softly as he falls to the ground. He's pretending to be unconscious, the door to my office slams open and in walks an enraged Kingsley. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY SON!?" He yells as he rushes to the boys side. I stare in shock, "I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING! HE CAME TO ME!" I yell right back. A small whimper catches both of our attention, I look down at the boy and frown. He seems really pale, "D-Daddy..." His voice sounds...so...small and tired. Kingsley lifts Prince into his arms and holds him tight, "Stay.Away.From.My.Son." He growls as he carries the boy out. 

    I sigh heavily and rub my head, "The boy needs help." I mumble as I plop down into my chair. I look at my trident and hold onto it tight, he held it longer this time, "I hate the little shit, but I don't want the brat to die for being stupid." I say as I glance out the window, I grow stiff when I notice that he's looking up at me as his father carries him back to his office. The yellow tint is still there, the boy smiles and gives me a small wave. "M-Maybe I should leave him alone...just for a little bit."


	29. Sickness

  I whine loudly as I curl up in my bed, my heard hurts and my body feels achy. "Here son drink this," says my dad as he holds a glass of water up to my mouth. I lean up a little and take a small sip, I feel as if I'm on fire. I swallow the water and lay back down, dad pulls off his white glove and places his hand on my head. A low whistle leaves his mouth, "Yep, that's a fever. Looks like you being grounded is a good thing." He says as he pulls his glove back on. Another whine leaves me as I curl back up, I don't even remember why I'm grounded. "D-Dad...w-why a-am I grounded?" I ask, my voice sounding terribly raspy. Dad tilts his head and cocks an eyebrow, "Well, yesterday when I caught you playing a game of craps, I stopped you from rolling the dice. When I told you not to do it, you did it anyway and got a nasty attitude with me afterwards...you really don't remember that?" He asks. I shake my head and whimper, I don't remember anything from the past two days really. Dad frowns as he runs his fingers through my hair, uninvited tears spring into my eyes. "E-Everything hurts d-daddy..." I whisper as I wrap my arms around myself. Dad sighs and bends to kiss my head, "Just get some rest kiddo. I'll go out and get you some medicine before the casino opens." He says as he stands up. 

     I whimper and pull my covers over my head, "P-Please hurry..." I whisper as I curl into a tight ball. When I hear the door shut I sit up and grab the trashcan that's beside my bed, everything in my stomach comes up all at once. I cough and spit what's left of the horrible tasting bile in my mouth, when I look into the trash can I tense. "W-Why i-is it black? I-It's not...s-supposed t-to be black!" I say as I scoot away from the trashcan. I pull my knees to my chest and stare at the can, I groan when I feel my stomach twist again. A whimper escapes me as I wrap my arms around my stomach, "N-No m-more please..." I whisper. A loud whine leaves me as I lay on my side, 'W-Where's d-daddy?' I think as tears fall down my cheeks. I want the pain to go away, a quiet sob leaves my trembling lips, "T-This is w-worse t-then the g-game..." 

~Kingsley~

      I rush past everyone in the casino in hope of getting by without being stopped, "DICE!" I stop and glare up at the upper floor balcony. Boss is leaning against the rail and making a 'come here' motion with his finger. I growl lowly, "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU! PRINCE IS SICK HE NEEDS MEDICINE!" I yell up at him. Seeing the Devil visibly tense was a rare sight to see, without warning boss begins to make his way down the stairs. "Has the boy puked?" He asked when he finally got close to me. I frown at the question, "No, why would he? Did you do something to him?" I ask as I step close to the monster. The Devil frowns and crosses his arms, "I haven't touched the boy Dice! He..." Devil cuts himself off. I glare and bring my face closer to his, "He what?" I ask angrily. He sighs heavily and looks away, "He held my trident the day he was in my office. The boy attacked me, not the other way around, he took my trident once he got the upper hand. The magic seems to be finally expelling from his body." I blink and stare at him for a moment. I laugh loudly and hold my stomach, "Y-You honestly expect me to believe that my eight-year-old son attacked you! That's rich!" I say while laughing. 

    The Devil's fur bristles in anger, "IT'S THE TRUTH YOU BLOCK HEAD!" He yells as he grabs the front of my suit. I smirk and look up at him, he growls and grips my suit tighter. "Haven't you noticed the yellow tint in his eyes you idiot? Where do you think he got that from!" Slowly my smirk falls, I glare at the demon and pry his hands off of my suit. "If it is, because of your magic then how the hell do we fix it?" Devil scoffs, "We?" I growl and get close to him again, "Yes we it was your magic. The least you could do is help me make him better!" I grab the monsters wrist and pull him to Prince's room. I ignore the pain in my hand as Devil claws at it, I tighten my grip and push the door to Prince's room open. What I see breaks my heart, I release Devil's hand and walk over to Prince. "Hey, kiddo are you alright?" I ask as I pull him onto my lap. He whimpers and clings onto my suit weakly, I lay my head on his and hum softly. "I-It..h-hurts d-daddy..." Prince whispers as he tries to tighten his hold on my suit. I look up at the Devil and frown, "I really...really hate you...but...can you please help him? I-If you do then I'll try to defeat those cup boys for you whenever they arrive here." I say softly as I tighten my hold on Prince. 

    Devil sighs heavily, "King, I can't do anything. His body as to get rid of it," he says as he glances down at Prince. "Well is there anyway you can lessen the pain! I don't want him to lay here and suffer all day!" I yell angrily. I flinch when I hear my son whine, I nuzzle his hair and squeeze him gently. "Sorry my little prince..." The Devil walks across the room and looks in the trashcan next to Prince's bed, his face scrunches up in disgust. "Well he's puked it all up, get something that will make him sleep. I'll stay with him." I growl and tighten my hold on my son. Devil frowns and holds his hands up, "Listen, if you want the boy to not suffer anymore then you better go get something to make him sleep. I won't touch him you have my word, I'll even make a contract if you want me to." I glare and sigh heavily, I lay Prince back down and cover him up, "Fine, but if I find out that you harmed him in anyway, I will make you pay." I say angrily as I stand up. I walk over to the door and look back at my son, I give him a small smile, "Daddy will be right back kiddo. He won't touch you." I say as I walk out, I really hope that he'll be okay. 

~Devil~

    I stare down at the kid with a bored expression, "Do you regret it now brat? If you don't, then you should because you'd be dead right now if I hadn't taken it from you when I did." Prince whimpers and curls in on himself. "W-What are...y-you talking a-about..." His small and quiet reply almost makes me feel bad for him. I smirk down at him, "Well, let's see. One night during our little training sessions, I allowed you to hold my trident, but only for a second. I gave you a little push and you killed the demon you were fighting." I wait before I continue, seeing the realization sink into him is an amazing thing. Without warning the boy grabs the trashcan next to his bed and heaves into it, I stifle a chuckle behind my hand. He coughs and sobs, "I-I...I-I d-didn't..." His voice wavered as he struggled to keep himself calm. I grin down at him and scratch his head gently with my claws, "Oh, but you did kiddo. Though, letting you hold the trident was a mistake, because the next day you busted up into my office demanding to hold it again. You attacked me, now I won't be retaliating just yet. I want you to be nice and healthy for that." 

     Prince backs away and curls in on himself close to the wall, I smirk at him and sit on the bed. "How long do you think you can handle knowing that you killed someone kiddo?" Seeing the fear in his eyes brightens my day, I lean closer to him and whisper, "What if your father finds out? He'll hate you for that." Prince tenses and stares at me with wide green eyes, "D-Don't...d-don't t-tell h-him!" He yells. I chuckle and stand up, "Don't worry kiddo, your secret is safe with me." When the door to the room slams open I step away from the bed, Kingsley walks in holding a plastic bag. "Okay, I got a strong sleep remedy. Guy at the store said one sip would knock someone out for a couple days." He says as he walks over to Prince. I turn to leave, with one final glance at Prince I wink at him and close the door. A small chuckle escapes me as I form a cigar in my hand, I place it in my mouth and light it, "Seeing that empty look in those emerald eyes is so filling..."


	30. Saved

  I struggle in the two cup bro's holds, "L-LET ME GO!! I-I HAVE TO PROTECT MY DAD YOU IDIOTS!!" I scream as I try to break free from them. Their hold only tightens on my arms, "Kid, you can't go back there! It's dangerous, besides your dad can protect himself!" Said the red cup. His tone sounds annoyed, I struggle more and kick my legs. "N-NO HE CAN'T!! NOT WITH THAT ASSHOLE THERE!" I yell. The blue cup gasps and turns to look at me, I glance over at him and glare. "Did you just curse!? How old are you! You look barely above six!" He says in that annoying whining voice of his. I laugh loudly at his remark, "SAYS YOU! I'm eight, how old are you? Four short stack?" Sarcasm drips from my words. His mouth falls open as he lets go of my arm, "I-I'm thirteen you brat!" He exclaims as he crosses his arms over his chest. The red cup stops walking and lets go of my arm, he walks over to his brother and pats his back. "Relax Mugs, this is King Dice's son, he's gonna be acting like a brat." I growl and ball my hands into fists, "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN YOU CHEAP PIECE OF CHINA!" I yell angrily. The red cup puts his hand over his chest and gasps, "CHEAP!? I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT MY HEAD IS MADE WITH THE FINEST GLASS IN INKWELL!" He yells back. 

     I scoff and brush my suit off, "Please, you wouldn't know fine china even if it hit you in your face." I say smugly. I flinch when the hero lunges at me, I hold my arms up and brace myself for the hit. It never comes, he's probably just waiting so he can hit me in the face, a small whimper leaves my mouth. "Hey...kid relax I ain't gonna hit you." The cup says softly as he puts his hand on my shoulder, I scream and flail my arms around. "N-NO DON'T GET YOUR POINTS! P-PLEASE!!" I lose my balance and fall back, I curl in on myself and close my eyes. "Oh golly Cuphead look at his arms! They're all covered in burns!" The blue cup yells as he runs to be by my side. I whimper and pull my sleeves down, I don't want their pity. I tense when I feel one of their hands on my arm, I look up and see that its the red cup now known as Cuphead. "Hey kid...did...did your dad do that to you?" He asks. I growl softly and glare up at him, "N-No, w-why does everyone keep asking me that!?" Cuphead sighs and stands up, he holds his out for me to take. "Because your dad isn't exactly a nice guy," he replies to my outburst as he pulls me up from the ground. I huff and wipes my eyes on my sleeve, "M-My dad is a nice person...h-he's never harmed me in anyway...n-now...t-the Devil is another story." 

    Cuphead tilts his head and raises an eyebrow, I brush him off and turn back to the way we came. "Hold on a minute kid," he says as he grabs the back of my shirt collar. He pulls my back towards him and his brother, "LET GO OF ME!" I yell as I struggle in his hold yet again. While I was struggling something fell from my pocket, I blink and look down. I gasp, "Binx's crown!" I yell as I jerk away from Cuphead's hold, I bend down and pick the crown up. I smile at the sloppy handwriting, I trace my finger over the small crack that ran down the side of the crown. "I was supposed to fix this for you..." I mumble as I sit on the ground. "Sooo, who's this uh Binx character?" Cuphead asks as he sits beside me. I blush bright blue and hold the crown tight to my chest. "N-NO ONE!" I yell feeling a little flustered. The blue one chuckles as he sits down next to his brother, "Is she your girlfriend?" My blush burns hotter, "N-NO! S-SHE...S-SHE'S JUST...S-SHE'S A F-FRIEND!" I stumble over my words as I stare at the cup brother's. They both look at each other and share a devious grin, "Binx and Dice kid sitting in the tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g~!" They both begin to sing happily. "S-SHUT UP! A-AND MY NAME ISN'T DICE KID IT'S PRINCE YOU DUMMY'S!!" I yell in embarrassment. 

    "Prince Dice? That's cliche don't you think?" Cuphead asks, I frown and put Binx's crown on my head. "My full name is Princely thank you very much. What about your name? 'Cuphead?' Seriously? Was your parents stupid or really bad at names?" I say in annoyance. Cuphead's face falls, well great now I just feel like a jackass. "Hey uh...Prince? You're being really mean, what would your dad think?" The blue cup brother asks as he pats his brother's back. I sigh heavily and cross my arms, "Fine, I'm sorry for being a jackass...it's not every day that you get kidnapped by a bunch of tea holders." Cuphead scoffs and pushes me over, I wave my arms around. When I topple over my head decides to be a jerk and just roll away from my body. "CUPPY!!! YOU KILLED THE POOR KID!!" The blue cup yelled. I blink and let out an annoyed sigh, "QUICK! MUGMAN YOU GRAB THE BODY AND I'LL GRAB THE HEAD!" Cuphead yelled as he ran over to my head. I frown, "I'm still alive you morons." I say feeling irritated. Both of the cup brother's yell, I growl softly and force my arms to move around. "WOULD YOU IDIOTS JUST PUT MY HEAD BACK ON MY BODY!" I'm not sure which one grabs me, but within seconds I'm back on my body. I huff and brush my suit off. 

     I stand up and walk over to wear Binx's crown laid, "Now, if you'll excuse me I have to get home." I say as I turn back towards the casino. Both of the cups sigh and grab my arms once again, "AGAIN WITH THIS CRAP!?" I yell as I try to pull away. "Give it up Prince, you're coming home with us." Says Cuphead as him and his brother start walking in the direction of isle one. I keep up my struggling until we reach the Die house, I grin happily and say. "Just you wait! My dad will be in here waiting and he'll be taking me back!" I stick my tongue out at the cups. The share a look before they walk inside, my heart drops when I notice that it's empty inside. I look around and chew on my bottom lip, "W-Where...w-where is he?" I whisper as tears fill my eyes. He's supposed to be here, he's...he's supposed to be here waiting for me. I whimper and try to hold my tears back, "D-DAD?" I call. Mugman gently pats my back, Cuphead sighs, "Prince...he's not here." I choke back a sob as I look down at my feet, 'He doesn't care about you~.' I close my eyes and try to ignore the familiar voices singing, 'He hates you~! The Devil told him about the demon you killed and now he hates you~!!' I bite my lip hard and try to pull away from the cup brothers. The grips tighten, "Prince?" Mugman sounds concerned. I struggle to catch my breath, "L-Let m-me g-go please...I-I c-can't breathe." I plead softly. The two cups release me, I run to the nearest corner in the Die house and sit. I pull my knees to my chest.

     A loud sob rips through me, "H-HE H-HATES ME!!!" I scream as I bury my face into my arms. I cry louder and grip my arm tight, one of the cups sit beside me and pets my hair. "Hey...your dad doesn't hate you Prince...he...he probably doesn't know you're here is all." It was Mugman who spoke. I sniffle and hiccup wiping my eyes with my sleeve, "Come on...we'll take you to Elder Kettle, you can eat and rest. Then tomorrow we'll come back here and see if he'll be waiting, deal?" Mugman adds as he gives me a small smile, I look up at him and nod. I really hope he's here tomorrow...I want to go home...


	31. Monster (Pic by Great Papyrus)

  I whimper as I look around the dark room, it's so cold in here. "H-Hello?" I stammer as I try to move, all that came back was an echo of my own voice. Tears fill my eyes as I wrap my arms around myself, "D-Daddy?" I call again. Once again nothing came back, I sink down to the ground and sob. ' _Oh don't cry~! I'm here with you~!'_ A soft voice sings all around me, I tense up and look around, there was no one there. A quiet whimper leaves my trembling lips, "W-Who's there?" I ask. A soft giggle swirls around me, I blink and hug myself tighter. "W-Who's t-there!" I yell it this time, panic is literally choking me right now. ' _We're here~! You and me, me and you~! We're the same you know~!'_ The voice sings again. I chew on my bottom lip and grip onto my left arm, the room feels as if it's gotten colder. ' _Turn around Prince~.'_  I tense when I feel someone...no  _something_  breathe on me. I shudder and slowly begin to turn around, my eyes widen when I notice a pair of yellow and red eyes peering at me from behind. 

   I scream and scramble away, but before I could get far the monster pounced on me. "G-GET OFF! H-HELP!! D-DADDY!" I scream as I struggle with the creature. My thrashing freezes when the beast lets out a howl of laughter, ' _You sound so pathetic!! 'Help me, daddy, please!!'_ It's mocking me. The monster laughs louder as it pins my arms down to the ground, I stare up at it and pant hard. ' _Relax~! I'm you, can't you see the resemblence~?'_  It coos softly as it leans closer to my face. My eyes widen in horror when the demon's eyes flash green for a moment, "N-No...n-no y-you're n-not me!" I yell as I thrash around. The monster growls and digs its claws into my arms, something flicking behind it catches my eye. I glance at the object and notice that it's a tail. ' _I am you! Just a more...better you~.'_ It sings as it trails a clawed finger down the side of my head. I shudder and flinch at the touch, "N-No you're not! Y-You're like him!" I yell angrily. The demon laughs and uses its other hand to claw down my left arm, I scream and try to kick it off. ' _We're like him~! You're a murderer like him~, you filthy killer!'_

I gasp and sit up in my bed, I pant hard and look around my room like a caged animal. All is well, I let out a sigh of relief as I relax against my pillows, "S-Such a weird nightmare..." I mumble sleepily as I rub my eyes. I tense up when my door slowly begins to open, but I soon relax when my dad pops his head inside. Dad looks at me and smiles, "Hey kiddo, it's good to see you awake. How are you feeling?" He asks as he walks in. I shift around in my bed and look down at my hands, "I-I'm feeling better...I'm sorry for making you worry dad." I reply softly not bothering with making eye contact. Dad pats my head and ruffles my hair, "It's alright Prince...but...if you don't mind me asking, why on earth did you grab the Devil's trident?" I tense up at the question, it was one I was scared of, and it was one I just couldn't answer. "I-I...I don't know dad...I barely even remember ever touching it...everything is just a blur." I reply softly. I frown and nibble my bottom lip, why can't I remember? Did I do something bad? Dad pulls me into a hug and squeezes me tight, "It's alright kiddo...I'm not mad or anything, I'm just worried about you." He says as he runs his fingers through my hair. 

     I cling to his suit jacket and nod, "Say, do you wanna come see everyone before the casino opens? They've been worried about you too." He asks. I smile a little and nod, maybe seeing everyone will make me feel better. Dad picks me up and puts me on his shoulder, he grins up at me. "Well let's get going!" He says happily as he carries me out, I have to duck my head when we walk out of the door. The halls of the casino were quiet, but soon the quietness was replaced with loud laughter. "Hey, guys! Look who's awake!" Dad yells as he walks into the main lobby. Pirouletta squeals and runs over to us, "Oh, Princely you look good as new!" She says happily as she takes me off of my dad's shoulder. She squeezes me and kisses all over my head, I blush in embarrassment and squirm in her grasp. "I-It's good to see you too Pirouletta," I say as I give her a small smile. Mangosteen was the next one to engulf me into a tight embrace, "Boy did I miss you! I've been meaning to play Craps with you again, maybe now I'll beat ya!" He says happily. I blink and furrow my brows in confusion, oh...wait dad told me about this. "M-Maybe we can play later." 

~Kingsley~

     I take a seat at the bar and smiles at my workers and son, they really seem like they missed him. "Hey, boss...is ya kid alright? He seems off." Ask Wheezy as leans against the bar. I smile at him, "He seems alright to me Wheeze. Better than what he looked a couple days ago." I say as I watch Martini squeeze my son tight, I chuckle softly and shake my head. "Boss...I don't mean he looks sick, I mean he looks...I dunno, not himself. He's not as happy-go-lucky as he usually is." Wheezey says again. I glance over at him and frown, "What do you mean Wheeze?" I ask. Wheezey sighs and holds his hands up, "I dunno, maybe it's just me." A loud scream catches my attention, I look over to my son and the others. Prince is on the floor on his hands and knees panting and screaming. I jump from my stool and quickly walk over to him, "What did you guys do!?" I yell when I finally reach them. "I swear to ya boss we ain't done nothing! I was just talkin to him and he started to scream!" Martini says in a panic. 

    I stoop down beside him and rub his back, "Prince? Son, what's wrong?" I ask, but it's as if he can't hear me. "Princely?" I ask again, another scream leaves him. I flinch back a little, " _M-Make i-it stop! MAKE IT STOP!!!"_ He screams as he struggles to keep himself up. He's shaking like a damn leaf. "PRINCE!" I yell as I try to snap him out of it. 

~Prince~

     Everything was going okay, Martini was telling me about how dad and Devil argued over this one guy who managed to slip past them with a lot of money last night. I smile and nod as I listen to her,  _'Kill her! KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER!!!'_ I flinch when one of the voice screams in my head, I bite my lip and try to ignore it. "Princely? You okay hon?" Martini asks. I look at her and nod, ' _I'll make you kill her~!'_  The voice sings softly. I whine in pain as I clench my jaw, ' _W-What are you d-doing?'_ The voice doesn't answer me. I ball my hands into fists and wince, I glance down at my hands and gasp. I have  _claws,_ a small whimper escapes me, but then it turns into a full-blown scream. "What did you guys do!?" I hear my dad yell, my screams grow louder when I notice that my  _claws_ have grown. I slump to the floor and hold myself up with my hands, I stare down at them in horror. "Prince? Son, what's wrong?" My dad asks as he rubs my back when I don't answer he calls my name again. I scream again when I notice that my hands are turning grey, ' _FACE IT! YOU'RE JUST LIKE HIM!'_ A voice screams as it laughs at my fear. " _M-Make i-it stop! MAKE IT STOP!!!"_ I scream when I notice a few more changes in me, I'm not him, I'm  _NOT HIM!_ "PRINCE!" My dad yells as he shakes me. I move away from him and wrap my arms around myself. I look at everyone, they're staring at me with wide eyes. I whimper and curl in on myself, "I-I'm n-not like him...I-I'm not..." I whisper hoarsely. A voice giggles softly in my head, ' _You're right~,you're worse than him~.'_

__


	32. Laughter

I take a deep breath and straighten my tie, "Today's the day I get through work without breaking down." I say to myself as I walk out of my office. The casino is never really full anymore, not since those cups ruined everything. I shake my head and chuckle lightly, "Don't think about them Kingsley...just get through today." I mumble as I walk into the lobby of the casino. A familiar high pitched laugh causes me to stop walking, I look around and see Prince at the bar. I frown, he's not supposed to be in here. I walk over to him, but when I reach him he disappears, I stop and blink. "Aye, boss? You alright?" Hopus asks snapping me back to reality, I look at him and point to the seat I saw my son in. "Did you see Prince sitting there?" I ask. The rabbit sighs and hops over to my side, "Boss...Prince is dead...you know this." He replies as he pats my arm. My frown deepens, I'm not crazy, my son was right there. The high pitched laughter sounds again, I turn towards it and see Prince sitting on one of the Craps table's. Now this makes my blood boil, "Princely Dice! What did I tell you last time!" I say as I walk over to the table. Once again my son disappears, I growl softly. 'He knows better than to use portals!' I think as I walk back to my office. 

I can hear my sons muffled laughter through the closed door, "Prince we nee-." I stop myself when I see the cups holding my son. My eyes widen, Prince has multiple cracks in his head, his cheeks are stained with tears. Mugman smirks at me, "Oh look at the Prince! Your daddy is here! How about you say something to him?" He says as he points his finger gun at my little Prince. Cuphead moves his hand from my son's mouth, a loud cry leaves Prince's mouth, "H-HELP ME DADDY!" He screams. I take a step inside and ready my cards, "Y-You fuckers leave him ALONE!" I yell as I throw the cards, before they could hit their target the cups and my son disappear. I run in and look all around my office in hopes of finding Prince, tears prick at the corner of my eyes. I sit down in my chair and rub my face, a small chuckle escapes me. "I-I'm losing my damn mind..." I mumble. I tense when I hear my son's laughter, I move my hand and see Prince sitting in my lap. I can feel his weight and warmth on me, so...it has to be real right? 

Prince looks up at me and gives me a wide grin, one of his teeth is missing. "D-Did you lose another tooth k-kiddo?" I ask. His grin widens as he nods, "Can we spin around daddy?" He asks. I smile down at him and hold him close, "O-Of course!" I say happily as I begin to spin the chair around. Prince's laughter fills me with such joy, this is what I need...I don't need to work or be around the other's...I only need my happy blue boy. I stop spinning the chair and hug my son tight, he giggles and returns my hug, "I love you daddy!" I smile as tears slip down my cheeks, "I-I love y-you too kiddo..."


	33. The Shadow (Pic by Great Papyrus)

   Prince sighs heavily as he switches positions in his dad's chair, Binx was with her mother today, so that meant he couldn't leave his father's office. He uses his foot to push himself to and from the desk, "I never realized how boring it is in here..." Prince mutters as he hops down from his father's chair. " _You said it kiddo,"_ a voice chuckles from behind him. Prince tenses and looks over his shoulder, a pair of red and yellow eyes greeted him. He opened his mouth to scream, but the person with the eyes covered his mouth with a shadowy clawed hand. " _Shh! Don't be scared I won't hurt you! I promise."_ The person reassured softly. Prince stares at the shadow with wide eyes, it had horns and a tail, but it didn't have a threatening presence like the Devil. Slowly the boy nods his head, the shadow flashes him a sharped tooth smile and moves it's hand away from his mouth. Prince looks the shadow up and down, "W-What's your name?" He stutters as he gives the shadow a small, but nervous grin.  

    The shadow's grin grew wider, " _The name is Aza~! What's your name~?"_ The shadow purrs as it uses its tail to tickle Prince's stomach. The young dice giggles at the action, "M-My name is Prince. I-It's nice to meet you Aza." He replies softly while flashing the shadow a shy smile. Aza smiles and floats over to be by Prince's side, " _Say...why do you stay in here?"_ He asks as he nudges Prince's arm a little. The young dice sighs and hangs his head, "Daddy doesn't want me out and about in the casino because I might get hurt." He replies as he huffs with annoyance. Aza scoffs and slings their arm over Prince's shoulders pulling him close. " _He's full of it! Besides I'm here now~! I'll protect you~, let's go and mess with Devil~."_ Sings Aza as he squeezes Prince's shoulder a little tight. Prince bites his bottom lip in thought, "I-I...I-I don't know Aza...he already hates me..." He mumbles as he looks down at his shoes. Aza sighs and moves their arm away, " _Well, since you're too scared I guess we'll do something else."_ Prince frowns and turns to face the shadow, "I-I didn't say I was scared! I-I held the Devil's trident before, so that means I'm not scared of anything!" Prince yells in defense. 

     Aza smirks, " _Anything huh~? Alright~! I got an even better idea~! Let's go mess with one of the customers~!"_ Prince tenses and laughs nervously, now doing that could possibly get him killed. He fidgets with his tie nervously, Aza takes his hand and squeezes it lightly. Prince blinks and looks at the shadow, " _Come on Prince~! It's going to be sooo fun! You don't need to be scared, I'll protect you~."_ Slowly Prince begins to relax, Aza's gentle tone helped to reassure him that he would be okay. "O-Okay...b-but if I get in trouble I'm telling dad you did it!" He replies as he squeezes Aza's hand back. The two of them keep their hands together as they slowly creep down the hall, once they're in the lobby they sneak over to one of the blackjack tables. Both of them hide under the table, Prince giggles softly and whispers, "Watch this." He and Aza peek out from under the table, without being noticed Prince quickly grabs one of the player's chips. They both duck back under the table and stifle their laughter behind their hands. 

     "OI!? Where the hell did ma chips go!?" Yelled a furious boar who stood from his chair, Prince couldn't help but giggle. Though his giggling was a mistake, his blood runs cold when the boar stoops down to look under the table. "Aye! You little brat, you stole ma chips!" He yells as he goes to grab Prince. Before he could grab him, Aza shot forward and bit the boar's arm. The angry boar yelps in pain, "Sir, what on earth is going on!?" Yells Kingsley as he stomped over to the blackjack table. "There's a damn kid under da table! He took ma chips and then bit me!" The manager blinks and bends to look under the table, his blood begins to boil when he sees his son. Prince gives his dad a small smile and holds the chips up, "A-Ah...I-I g-got the jackpot?" He laughs nervously. Kingsley glares at his son and gestures for him to come out, Prince sighs and crawls out from under the table. "Princely Dice you apologize to Jimmy right now and give his chips back to him." Kingsley's voice his stern and serious. The young dice looks down and hands the stolen chips back to the boar, "M'sorry for stealing your chips, Mr. Jimmy..." He mumbles as he kicks on the carpeted floor. 

       Prince squeaks when his father lifts him into his arms, "Guess who just got grounded." He says angrily as he carries his son back to the office. "B-But dad! I-It was Aza's idea!" Prince protests as he points to the little shadow that was walking next to his father. Kingsley looks down and sighs, 'Damn imaginary friends.' He thought as he opened the door to his office. "Well, you tell Aza that I said he's grounded too. You can't be messing with people like that Prince, especially here! You could get seriously hurt!" Prince looks down and fidgets with his tie, "Yes sir..." He mumbles. His father sighs and sets him back down in his desk chair, "Listen, I won't ground you okay? I know it's boring here without Binx, but I can't help it. When everyone leaves, you and I can play a game of Go Fish with everyone, how's that sound?" Kingsley asks as he strokes his son's hair. "Can Aza play too?" He chuckles and nods, "Yes, Aza can play to kiddo." After his father leaves, Prince begins to pout at Aza. "I told you that we'd get in trouble!" He whines as he flops back into his dad's chair. Aza giggles and hops into the chair next to Prince, " _We still had fun though~! Besides, I protected you, like I said I would~!"_ The shadow sings as he wraps his tail around Prince's waist. The boy smiles at his new friend and pulls the shadow close. " _I'll always protect you, Prince."_

__


	34. Hurt by The Great Papyrus

Kingsley sat slumped at his desk, blankly writing the names of the casino's patrons on a tear-soaked sheet of paper. The lines were smudged, bleeding down the page as if the ink that put them there was fresh. His hand writing was sloppy, nothing like his usual, royal-like cursive. He held onto his pen loosely as he wrote, muttering the names he was writing to keep track. He had just gotten over one of his crying spells, being in a blank, emotionless state. Not the ideal way to work, but its all he had to give. A soft knock echoed through the silent room, Kingsley slowly raised his head from his paper. " Come.. come in.. " he muttered. The door slowly creeped open, a scrawny demon holding papers in his mouth on the other side.

" ..Hello, Richard.. " he mumbled, frowning when he saw that he was only brought more work. " 'Ello, Mista King Dice.. th' boss told me ta deliver these. " the demon responded, plopping the papers ontop of the ones he was writing on. Kingsley stared blankly at the growing pile of papers in front of him, then looked back to the one who delivered them. " Thank you.. tell him they will be done soon.. " he requested, forcing a small smile. Richard frowned, examining the manager's face. " ..Y'alright Mista? Y'look a bit exhausted.. ah could ask 'm if you could have some time off? " he asked, flashing him an innocent smile. " No.. no, I'm fine, I'm fine. There's.. no need to bring it to his attention. " he reassured, waving a hand.

Richard glanced at his hand, noticing small tears in his glove. " Are... are y'sure..? " he asked. Kingsley nodded, looking back down at his stack of work, signalling him to leave. Richard lowered his ears and his tail, concern growing in him. " A.. A'right, Mista King Dice.. remember to call int' his office when you're done.. " he reminded, walking out of the office and slowly shutting the door. Kingsley sat silently, looking over what was given to him. It was the usual work, a schedule for the next day that his boss usually plans out. The time slots were basically the same, save for.. one. Kingsley began to shiver. He had forgotten he planned that for today.. " 7:30 PM - Sing and Dance, entertainment for the customers, with Kingsley and.. " " ...P-Prince.. " he muttered. Prince had always wanted to get up on that golden stage with his father, though since he was never allowed to leave his office, he never could. Even if he couldn't sing very well, he still wanted to just.. have fun with his dad. Tomorrow was going to be the day everyone saw how amazing his boy was, and Prince was going to have the time of his life out there.

Kingsley stared at the name beside his, tears slowly flooding his eyes. He whispered curses to himself, shutting his eyes tightly. " Prince.. he.. was so excited for that day.. " he spoke to himself, his voice wavering. " After all the shit he went through.. he was finally going to have a good day.. " he slammed his desk with his fist, knocking over the empty cup he had, " DAMNIT! " he yelled in frustration, not just at this schedule, but at himself, at his boss, at everything. Just one, simple time slot sent him into a breakdown. " All he wanted was to spend time with me, and what do I do?! " he quickly shot up from his chair, grabbing the cup and tossing it at the wall, " LOCKED HIM UP IN HERE! " he shouted, the shatter from the glass almost deafening compared to the silence the room had before.

His breathing grew heavy, staring at the glass in the floor. " Now he's gone, and there's nothing I can fucking do about it. " he hissed, tears slowly flowing down his face. He slowly sat back down in his chair, gripping the arms of it as he slumped over. " You made a promise to him, that you'd protect him, no matter what... " he gripped the arms tightly, " but now look, he's dead because of you. " he let out a whimper, defeated by his words, " You let him down.. " he whimpered softly, looking back up at the door. He slowly stood up from his chair, walking over to the shattered glass on the ground. He bent down to the pile, taking a few shards into his hand and gripping them tightly. He winced at the pain, slowly opening his hand, dropping the shards. He watched the crimson streams slowly flow down, laughing. " You deserve to be in pain.. after all the pain you just- let him go through.. " he shakily said, walking back over to his desk and sitting down.

Kingsley stares down at his bloodied hand, a frown firmly placed on his face. "L-Look at you...so damn weak...pitying yourself...only caring about what you couldn't do." A soft growl leaves him as he balls his hand into a fist. "Y-You should be the one that's dead, not him, not Prince. He was innocent in all of this, you're the one who help take people's souls, you're the one who helped that bastard cheat, y-you're the one t-that sinned." He whispers as he clenches his jaw tight, "Just fucking end it you filthy sinner." He tells himself as he stands from his chair once more, he walks over to the broken glass on the floor. Kingsley bends down and picks up a rather big shard, he stares back himself in the shard. Slowly he notices the reflection changing, he gasps when he sees his son's smiling face staring back at him. Kingsley whimpers and drops the glass, he falls to his knees and covers his face with his hands, "W-What...a-am I d-doing?"


	35. Jackpot

  "Psst! Prince!" Aza whispered as he shook his sleeping companion awake, Prince stirs slightly and pushes his friend's hand away. "N-Not now Aza..." He mumbles as he curls up in his bed. The shadow huffs and shakes him a little harder, "I'm bored Prince! Get up!" He yells as he continues to shake his friend. Prince groaned and rubbed his eyes as he sat up in his bed, "What am I supposed to do? I can't leave, dad will kill me." He whispers as he waves his friend's tail away. Aza grins and holds up a gold coin, "Come on~! It's only gonna take a few seconds, I wanna play one of the slot machines!" He says as he wraps his tail around Prince's waist. Prince grins when a sudden giddy feeling fills him, 'It wouldn't hurt to try it.' He thought as he hopped out of his bed. Aza's grin widens as his tail tightens around the boy's waist, "That's the spirit~!"  He sings as he drags his friend out of the room. Lucky for them, Kingsley was a heavy sleeper so it made it easier to sneak out. Both of them sneak down the hall, both giggling like fools when they walk into the lobby. The only thing that illuminated the large room was the slot machines on the wall. "Okay, you put the coin in and I'll pull the lever deal?" Aza asks as they walk over to the machines. Prince grins wide and takes the coin from his friend, "This is going to be so fun!" He whispered excitedly. In his excitement, Prince missed the wicked smirk that now lived on Aza's shadowy face. The young dice stands on his tip toes as he slips the coin into the coin slot.

      Prince steps back and allows Aza to pull the lever, he flinches at how loud the machine was. They both watched as the machines stopped on three sevens, a loud 'JACKPOT~!'  Rang throughout the empty lobby. Prince squeaked and jump back when the machine started to spew gold coins, he looks to his friend with wide eyes. "D-Did we break it!?" He asked fearfully. Aza laughs and shakes his head, "We won~! Grab some of the coins!" He says happily as he points to the machine that is still spewing gold coins everywhere. "Who's in here!?" Prince squeaks again when he hears his father's rough voice. He grabs Aza's hand and ducks under one the craps table's. Aza held out his hands holding some of the gold coins they won, Prince shook his head and pushed his hands away, but that was a mistake because the coins had fallen to the ground causing them to jingle. "GET OUT FROM UNDER THERE YA THIEF!" Kingsley yelled as he stomped over to the table. Prince crawls out from under the table and gives his father a sheepish grin, his blood ran cold when he felt his father's glare on him. If looks could kill he'd be dead right now, "Why are you out of bed!? Did you make that mess over there!?" Kingsley yells angrily. Prince flinches and looks down, he wrings his hands together nervously. "Princely Dice you answer me right now!" He flinches again, tears fill his eyes. "A-Aza d-did it, daddy..." He mumbles as he sniffles. 

     Kingsley groans and drags his hand down his face, "Enough with this Aza crap Princely! He's not real! Now, why on earth did you do this!?" He yells. His father's words cut into him like a knife, he looks up at him with hurt green eyes. "A-Aza is real!" He yells back as his tear spill over his eyes. Kingsley glares and picks his son up, "You're grounded until you tell me the truth." He says through gritted teeth as he carried him back to their room. "I-I am!! Aza did it!!" He yells causing his voice to crack. Having enough with his son's protests Kingsley slaps his hand, "Don't yell at me, young man! Aza is not real! He's an imaginary friend!" He yells. Prince whimpers and holds his hand, he looks down and sees Aza walking next to his dad. He watches as the tiny shadow wraps his tail around his father's leg, Kingsley yelps and falls to the floor holding onto his son tight. He huffs in annoyance, "Damn carpet..." He mumbles as he stands up. Prince wanted to tell him that Aza did it, but he didn't want to be yelled at again. Back in their room, Kingsley lays his son back on his bed and covers him up, "You're grounded until you tell me the truth Princely, that means no seeing Binx." He says sternly as he climbs into his own bed. Prince sighs heavily and curls up staring at the wall, Aza watches as his friend's shoulder's shake as he sobs quietly. The shadow frowns and slides his red and yellow gaze to the sleeping manager, with a soft growl he walks over to him. "I'll show you I'm real,"  Aza whispers as he uses his claws to tear the manager's suit to shreds. 

     The next morning Kingsley awakes to get ready for another day at work, but when he went to grab his suit he noticed some slashes in it. This caused his blood to boil, "PRINCELY!" He yells startling his son awake. Prince rubs his eyes and looks up at his father with wide eyes, "W-What?" He asks while yawning. Kingsley glares and holds his suit up, "Explain, right now." He seethes. Prince blinks and stares at the suit, "Did a bear get your suit daddy?" He asks. His father growls and throws the ruined material onto his bed, "Prince this is getting ridiculous! Now, why did you do that!?" He yelled. Prince whimpers and stares at his dad with tear-filled eyes, "I-I d-didn't d-." "DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP!" Kingsley cuts him off causing his son to flinch. He growls and stocks off into his closet to get another suit, "You're grounded for two weeks young man!" He yells as he gets dressed for work in his new suit. Prince puts his hands over his eyes and cries softly, "I-I d-didn't d-do it, daddy!!" He yells. Kingsley glares as he puts on his crown cufflinks, "Let m guess, Aza did it?" He says sarcastically as he walks towards the door. "You're not allowed to leave this room at all today, if you do, then you're going to be in big trouble." Prince flinches when his father slams the door on his way out. 

      "What a jerk," Aza sneers as he appears beside Prince. The boy glares at his friend and sniffles, "Y-You g-got me in trouble again!" He yells as he wipes his eyes. The shadow sighs and wraps his tail around Prince's waist pulling him close, "I know...I'm sorry my little Prince...he just made me so mad when he hit you..." Aza pouts as he lays his head on Prince's shoulder. The boy sighs and holds his friend close, "I-It's okay...m-maybe if I apologize when he calms d-dow he'll unground me..." Aza smirks and grabs his friend's hand squeezing it, 'Phase one of my plans is nearly complete~!' 


	36. Don't Mess With Me

  Princely sighs and watches the two cup brother's run around, it's been two months since he was taken. Today was the day when he was supposed to preform with his dad, but the hero's ruined it. He glares at the two of them and pulls his knees to his chest, ever since they took him everything has gone to hell. He gets picked on at school, the witch they put him with barely acknowledges him, and now Aza won't even talk to him. He sighs heavily and glances up at the cups, they're talking to one of the locals. Prince stands up and quickly walks towards the die house, 'They're not going to stop me this time.' He thought as he walked a little faster. He breaks out into a sprint and slams the doors open to the building, the familiar beat of his dad's song wraps around him. A small smile forms on his face as he walks in, he closes the doors behind him and takes a deep breath. His dad's deep voice fills him with joy, "I'm Mister King Dice, I'm the gamest in the land~." Prince grins and climb on the couch, "I never play nice, I'm the Devil's right hand man~." He finishes the lyrics. Tears fill his eyes, but his smile only grows, "I can't let you pass, cause you ain't done everything~." Prince sniffles and tries to control his shaking, "B-Bring me those contracts, c-come on bring em to the king~." 

     Prince's voice cracks lightly when he finishes the next lyric, he wanted to sing this with his dad. He wanted his dad to be here with him, "If you haven't finished your task, haven't worked assiduously~." Prince chokes back a sob as he lays down on the couch, "N-No, I cannot let you past, d-don't you mess with me..." He whispers as his tears fall faster. A small whimper leaves his trembling lips as he curls in on himself, "Don't mess with King Dice~." The song continues on as Prince sobs. "I-I...w-wish y-you w-were really h-here...I-I w-want to come home..." He whispers as he sobs louder almost drowning out the song. "A-Aza...p-please...I-I n-need y-you..." Prince cries as he hugs himself. "Prince?" Mugman's whiny voice breaks through his loud sobbing and the music, he forces himself to stop crying. The cup frowns with concern and walks over to the trembling boy, "Prince, what's wrong?" He asks as she strokes the boy's hair. "Yo! Mugsy did you find him?" Yelled Cuphead as he pokes his head through the door of the die house, Mugman signals him to hush. 

     Prince scoots away from Mugman's touch, "D-Don't mess with me..." He whispers. Cuphead groans and leans his head back, "Is he crying again?" Prince growls and balls his hands into fists, "Cup, leave him alone." Mugman warns as he glares at his brother, Cuphead scoffs and crosses his arms over his chest. "Dice kid, it's been two months. If your dad really cared he'd come and got you by now." Prince growls louder and flings three playing cards at the eldest cup, "I SAID DON'T MESS WITH ME!!" He yelled as he flung three more cards. Cuphead dodges the cards and points his finger gun at Prince, "BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!" Mugman yells causing both of them to stare in alarm. "Cup go home! Prince...you can stay here for a bit, but you have to go home before it gets dark." The younger mug says as he drags his brother out. Prince sniffles and hugs his knees to his chest, he buries his face in his arms and sobs. "H-He d-does t-too care..."


	37. New Vessel

I stand in the shadows and watch as the young dice boy plays with the princess, I remember seeing him when she was much younger. "What are you up to Azazel?" I turn towards the question and see Dagon beside me, I smirk. "Just looking at my new vessel," I reply as I turn my gaze back to the boy. He's playing with one of the princess's dolls, "Are you talking about King Dice's boy? You must have a death wish then." I chuckle and look at my demonic companion. "Please, what is that blockhead going to do to me? I'm the second strongest here." I reply smugly. "I need an ashtray hold still," I blink and turn towards my boss's voice, my eyes widen when I see him stick his lit cigar to the young boy's arm. The child screams and thrashes around trying to get the Devil away from him, when I go to take a step forward Dagon grabs me. "What are you doing! He's hurting him!" I seethe as I try to break away from her. Dagon's grip tightens, "Don't you think it will be easier if he was a tad bit broken? You've seen his father, he's got a soul as strong as an ox, it wouldn't shock me if his boy had a strong soul as well." She explains as she pulls me back. A sinister smirk forms on my face, "I see what you mean~, I'm sure the boy will need a few friends to break him further~." I sing softly as I watch the scene unfold. 

When the child leaves, I follow him out. He hasn't noticed me and I am thankful for that, "T-That g-game h-hurts..." The boy whimpers as he grips the arm that was being burned, part of me feels bad for him. I shift into my shadow form and float closely behind the sniveling dice, "Poor pathetic Prince~! You couldn't even protect yourself~." I whisper lowly to him. The child tenses and looks around, his pretty green eyes hold so much fear within them. "W-Who s-said that?" He stutters. I chuckle softly and whisper again, "What would your daddy think~? He'll think you're pathetic~!" I sing softly. Tears swim in the kid's eyes, he turns and runs to his father's office, I smirk and return to my normal form. "You made the poor kid cry Azazel!" Dagon scolds as she flies beside me. I look at her and grin, "It'll be fine~! I just need to break down his psyche, though I'm sure that won't take long if the boss keeps doing what he's doing. Once he's broken, I'm going to swoop in and gain his trust." I explain as I walk towards the throne room. 

"Why do you even want a new vessel?" Dagon asks as she flies next to me, I glance over at her and smirk. "With that boy's untapped power and mine, we'll be unstoppable. I'll finally be able to take the throne as mine, I'm already the king of spirits, now I want to be the king of hell." I reply smugly. Dagon gasps, "Azazel...y-you can't go against Devil! He'll kill you!" She says worriedly. I chuckle lowly, "He won't get the chance to. Once I get that kid on my side, that bastard will be begging for mercy."


	38. Her Prince

The thunder crashes loudly outside, the rain pelting the window like angry bullets. The young princess curls up and whimpers, she tries to block out the loud noise, but it doesn’t work. When the thunder crashes again, she leaps from her bed and flees her room. She runs down the hall and flings open her prince’s bedroom door, Binx runs in and jumps into Prince’s bed snuggling up to him. “W-Wha? B-Binx? A-Are you okay?” The young die asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The princess whimpered and wrapped her tail around her companion's waist, “T-The thunder is scary Princey…” She whimpers as she tightens her tail around his waist. Prince gives her a small smile and holds her close to him, “I-It’s okay, it can’t hurt you.” He says as he nuzzles her cheek. Binx nods and snuggles closer to him, the six-year-old chuckles at the little demon’s actions.

Prince hummed softly and gently stroked Binx’s arm when her breathing became deep and even he knew that she had fallen asleep. A light blush tints his pale cheeks, “Don’t get the wrong idea stupid...she’s just a friend.” He scolds himself as he lays back in his bed. He closes his eyes and allows sleep to consume him. The darkness of the void surrounds him, every time he sleeps this is the place he wounds up in. It’s always quiet, a sound is never made, unless he decides to say something. ‘Hello,’ A soft voice echoed around him. He blinked in surprise and looked around, “Hello? Is anyone there?” Prince asks as he stands. The voice giggles, ‘Hi there~!’ The voice sang. It sounded as if it was growing closer, Prince frowns and wraps his arms around himself. The voice sounds too sweet, “Who are you?” He asked feeling cautious. The voice giggled again, ‘I’m you~!’ Prince gasps and sits up in his bed, Binx’s grip tightens around his waist. He looks down at her and smiles.

The sound of someone clearing their throat catches his attention, he looked up to see his dad standing there dressed in his usual purple suit. “Mind explaining this uh...little sleep over kiddo?” He asks while raising his eyebrow, Prince laughs nervously as plays with a piece of his hair. “S-She got scared last night because of the thunder, a-am I in trouble?” He stammers as he blushed in embarrassment. His father chuckles and ruffles his hair, “No, you’re not, but I’m going to have to tell her dad where she is. He’s been freaking out since he woke up.” He explains as he walks out of their shared room. Prince sighs and looks down at his Princess, he smiles at her peaceful expression. Binx yawns and rubs her eyes, slowly she opens them, her blue eyes meet a pair of emerald eyes. She smiles and squeezes Prince’s waist, “Thank you for protecting me Princey.” She says sleepily while nuzzling his side.

Prince blushes and grins, “N-No problem princess. Though...next time maybe ask before you come barging in.” He chuckles when Binx pouts. “Fine~! I have to go okay? I have to tell daddy where I was,” she replies as she unwraps her tail from the boy’s waist. Binx leans up and places a gentle kiss upon Prince’s cheek, “Thank you again Princey.” She says as she leaves the room. Prince blushes a bright blue and lightly touches his cheek, ‘Don’t get your hopes up lover boy. That was just a friendly peck, nothing more.’ Prince huffs at the voice’s negative comment. “S-Shut up, you’re just a voice in my head,” he mumbles as he lays back down. The voice chuckles, ‘A voice that’s always right~!’ Prince rolls his eyes and curls up, he yawns and lets his eyes slip shut, “I-I’m her prince...so it was more than just friendly.”


	39. Just Let Me Die

The five-year-old dice lays curled up on the cold ground, his body was aching and burning. "Did I break you? If I did, then that's not fun at all." Says the Devil as he circles around the injured child. Prince bites his bottom lip hard to hold back his whimpering, tears slip down his bruised pale cheeks. He yelps when the king of hell jerks his head back by his hair, his tears spill over his eyes as the Devil pulls his hair hard. He can feel his roots snapping, "You don't look broken." The demon king observes the shaking child, a small grin forms on his face. "You're just pretending right? Hoping that the game will just end?" He asks as he pulls the boy's hair again. Prince whimpers and claws weakly at the monster's hand, "P-Please l-let go." He stammers as he looks into the Devil's red and yellow eyes. The king grins and lightly traces one of the pits on the side of his head, "Let go? Oh no no~! The game isn't over Prince~." He coos softly as he pulls the boys head back. Prince closes his eyes tight, he whimpers in fear and squirms in the monster's grasp. 

"Hold still, this is going to hurt a lot~!" The Devil sings as he digs his claw into Prince arm, slowly dragging it downwards. The boy screams and kicks his legs, more tears fell from his eyes. "S-STOP IT!!" He screamed, the Devil laughs and digs the claw in deeper, "Why would I stop, when your screams sounds like music to my ears~!" He sings as he drags the claw down much rougher, Prince screamed louder and kicked his legs harder. "T-THEN KILL ME!!!" The boy yells, the assault on his arm stopped. The boy's breathing came out fast and shallow, "What did you just say?" Devil asked glaring at the boy. Prince glares weakly up at the demon king, he tries to calm his breathing, but it's not working. "I-I...I-I said t-to kill me..." He replies softly. A sob leaves the boy's trembling lips as he continues, "I-I can't...I-I can't h-handle this a-anymore...t-the p-pain i-is t-too much...p-please...k-kill m-me..." He pleads as he sobs softly. Devil stares at the boy with wide eyes, the boy is only five and he's already begging for death. 

Devil grins and lets the child fall to the floor, "No, I think I'll keep you alive. I wouldn't want to break my favorite toy~." He sings softly as he walks over to his throne. The boy's quiet sobs echoing throughout the throne room, "Now, go! The game is over." The demon king commands as he sits in his throne. Prince picks himself up from the floor and limps to his room, he hopes his father is asleep, or at least still working. "D-Daddy can't see me like this..." He whispers as he opens the door to his and his father's room. Prince's heart drops when he sees his father sitting on his side of the room reading a book, Kingsley looks up and gasps. "Princely! Oh my Lucifer, son what happened!?" He asked as he leaped from his bed to be by his son's side. Prince stares at his father with wide green eyes, he had to think of a lie and fast. "I-I...I-I fell down the steps, B-Bitty took me and Binx outside today a-and I tripped down the steps." He hoped that his lie was convincing. Kingsley frowns, not believing his son, but not wanting to push him. "You need to be careful next time kiddo, here let me clean you up and then we'll go to bed." 

Prince shakes his head and steps away from his father, "I-I'm okay..." He mumbles as he walks over to his bed. Prince climbs into his bed and lays down facing the wall, he closes his eyes and tries to pretend to be asleep. "Princely..." He ignored his father and curled up letting out soft snores. Tears slip down his bruised cheeks as a quiet whimper leaves his trembling lips, 'J-Just let me die...'


	40. Trust Me

Prince was once again alone in his father's office, Binx was gone to see her mother again. Aza laid across his friends lap and swayed his tail lazily, "Want to go play some cards?" The shadow suggests as he flicks his red gaze up to his bored friend. Prince shrugged and leaned his head back, he always hated the boredom that was bestowed upon him when his friend would leave to see her mother. "Wanna become brothers?" Prince blinks and looks down at his companion, "Brother's?" He questions while raising his eyebrow. Aza grins and sits up from his position on Prince's legs, "Yeah! Won't that be cool?" He says happily while wrapping his tail around the young boy's waist. Prince frowns in confusion and crosses his arms over his chest, "How can we become brothers?" He asks. Aza giggles and tightens his hold around the boy's waist, "Do you trust me, Prince?" He answers his friend's question with a question of his own. The tone of his friend's voice helps Prince relax a little, he smiles softly and nods. 

Aza grins wide and tugs his friend closer, "Great~! We'll just have to mix our blood together, so I'll have to cut your hand a little." The mention of cutting on him caused Prince to tense up, but the soothing hums that came from his friend helped him to calm down. "I didn't know you could bleed," he mumbled as he took in his friend's shadowy form. Aza chuckles and holds Prince's hand, "Of course I can silly~!" He sings as he presses his claw into the palm of Prince's hand, keeping his eyes locked onto the green ones in front of him, he slashes the skin on the boy's hand open. Prince winces and looks down at his hand, slowly it began to bleed. Aza then uses the same claw to cut his own palm open, Prince stares in amazement when he notices the lavender liquid flowing from the slash on his friend's hand. "N-Now what?" He stutters feeling a rush of adrenaline run through him. 

Aza smirks and puts his bloodied palm in Prince's, under his breath he mumbles softly in tongues. Prince shudders and grips his friend's hand, something doesn't feel right. "W-Why does my hand f-feel all tingly?" He asks while looking at Aza, the shadow glances at his eyes and grins. Prince's eyes were now a beautiful shade of turquoise signaling that the binding spell worked. "It just means it's working~! I feel much closer to you now~! Can't you feel it~?" Prince blinks and returns his friend's grin, "Y-Yeah, I do! I-I never knew that having a brother would feel this...great." He says softly, he hadn't noticed the evil smirk that now dawned on his friend's face. Aza releases his 'brother's' hand and gives him a small smile, "Now we're brothers! No one will ever separate us~!" He sings happily. Prince smiles brightly at his shadowy companion, "That's so cool! I don't want to ever lose you Aza!" He says as he engulfs the shadow into a tight hug. Aza smirks and returns the hug, "Me either Prince~, me either~!" 

Later that night, Aza stands by his 'brother's' bed and watches him sleep. "Azazel what are you planning?" Dagon's voice drifts softly through the air. The little shadow smirks, "I'm going to protect my little brother~." He sings softly as he fades away in a puff of black smoke and quiet laughter.


	41. Suffer

I look around the dark room and whimper, "A-Aza?" I whisper. A low growl emanates from behind me, I squeak and turn around to face the thing that growled. Bright red eyes stare back at me, "You're so pathetic! HOW COULD YOU GET US STOLEN!?" Aza roars as he tackles me to the ground, I gasp and stare up at him with wide green eyes. He's not a shadow anymore, he's...he's a demon? "Y-You're...y-you're a-a..." My word dies before I could fully speak. Aza growls and digs his claws into my arms, I wince and try to kick him off. "You ruined my plan! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE NEXT KING!" He yells as he drags his claws down my arms. I scream and try to kick him off again, "A-AZA STOP IT! T-THAT HURTS!" I scream. My friend chuckles lowly as he digs his claws into the freshly made cuts, "Good~!" He sings as he drags his claws down again. 

My screams grew louder, why wasn't anyone coming to help me? "We're leaving this place tomorrow brother!" Aza yelled as he gripped my hair with his bloodied hand. My breathing comes out fast, I don't know what to say. "W-We...w-we c-can't." I stammer as I try to push him away again. Aza growls and pulls my hair again, "AND WHY NOT!?" I flinch and allow my tears to finally fall, "B-Because...t-the c-cups w-won't let us!" The demon growls again as he plucks my head off of my body, "F-Fine~! But we're going to play a game, okay~?" Aza sings as he begins to drag his claws roughly down my cheek. I scream and force my legs to kick underneath him, "S-STOP IT!!!" 

"PRINCELY!" Mugman yells as he shakes me awake, I gasp and sit up in his bed. He's letting me sleep in his bed with him until they can find a family to take me in. "W-Where's...w-where's A-Aza?" I stutter while looking at him with wide eyes, Mugman frowns. "Who is Aza? You...you were yelling his name in your sleep, did he hurt you too while you were at the casino?" He asks I look down at my arms and gasp when I notice barely healed claw marks. I quickly hide my arms under the blanket, "I-I...n-no...Aza...is my friend, I-I had a nightmare...i-it's okay though." I reassure him with a small smile. Mugman eyes me suspiciously until his brother hits him on the head with a pillow, "Mugs, it's three in the morning! If Dice kid said it was nothing, then it's nothing, now turn the light off and go to bed." Cuphead says in irritation as he puts his other pillow over his head. 

Mugman sighs and looks back at me, "We'll talk about this in the morning okay?" I nod and lay back down on my side of the small bed, I turn and face the wall. 'I'll make you suffer until we go home! DO YOU HEAR ME, PRINCE!? YOU WILL SUFFER!!' I flinch when I hear Aza's angry voice echo in my head, I lay in the bed for a little while longer until I hear the cup's soft snores. I climb out of the bed and quietly walk downstairs, I walk outside into the cool night air and sits under the tree in front of Elder Kettle's small home. "Y-You're...y-you're not real Aza...you're not real..." I whisper as I force myself to stay awake, 'DON'T SAY THAT! I'M YOUR BIG BROTHER!!' He yells. I grit my teeth and dig my nails into my arm, "Y-You're not real...you're not my brother...you're just a shadow..." Aza growls, but I notice the faintness within the pitch. 'Just you wait Prince, when I come back I'll make sure you never see the light of day again!' That was the last I heard from my brother...


	42. Perfect (Pic by Great Papyrus)

 It was closing time at the casino, which meant that Prince could now roam around freely. He sat at the bar playing go fish with Hopus and Wheezy, the boy begins to hum softly to himself as he shuffles the cards in his hands. "Hey, Prince? What are you humming?" Hopus asks as he leans on his hand, Prince looks up and smiles at the rabbit. "I-It's a song I want to sing to Binx, it really reminds me of her." He replies as he deals out seven cards. Wheezy and Hopus both share a look and then they both nod, Wheezy excuses himself from the bar to search for the young boy's father. He finds the elder Dice talking with Pirouletta over a glass of water, "Aye boss! Got a second?" Wheezy asks as he walks over to where his boss is leaning over a craps table. Kingsley looks up and waves him over to join them, "What's up Wheeze?" He asks. 

    Wheezy grins and leans next to his boss, "Well, your little Romeo over there would like to sing a song for Binx." Kingsley spits his water out and coughs, "E-Excuse me what?" He asked as he tried to catch his breath. Wheezy lets out a hearty laugh as he pats his boss's back, "Yeah! He was over there humming as he dealt our cards. Hopus asked him what it was and he said it was a song he wanted to sing to Binx." Slowly a grin stretched across the managers face as he stood up straight, "Well, I do think I can arrange that." He says as he walks over to where his son is sitting. Once he is behind Prince he clears his throat, Prince turns and gives his father a small smile. "Hey, dad!" He says as he turns back to his card game. 

    Kingsley grins and sits next to his son, "Hey kiddo. So...a little birdy told me that you want to sing a song to a certain princess." Prince tenses and laughs nervously as a blush spreads across his face. "I-I...I-I may have m-mentioned it...b-but it would be pointless because I can't sing like you and she might hate it too. I don't want her to think I'm weird, o-or worse she might hate me, a-and I don't want that dad." Prince pants when he finally finishes his sentence, Kingsley blinks and laughs loudly. "Princely she won't hate you! Come on son, she'll love it~!" He says as he picks his son up from the bar stool. Prince squeaks and squirms around in his father's arms, his eyes flick over to Binx. She was sitting near the stage playing with her dolls. 

    "D-DAD! I-I CAN'T DO IT!" Prince screeches as he tries to jump from his father's arms, Kingsley tightens his hold and carries his son up the stage stairs. "I believe in you kiddo, just pretend me and the others aren't here. Just look at her." He says as he sets his son down handing him a microphone. Kingsley jumps down from the stage and holds his thumbs up grinning, Prince stands frozen in place holding the microphone. Binx looks up from her dolls and gives him a small smile, "Are you going to sing Princey?" She asks. Prince laughs nervously and clears his throat, he nods to her question. He looks solely at her and swallows the lump in his throat, " _I-I found a love...f-for meee~, Darling just dive right in and follow my leeaad~."_ The singing started out soft, but the more he focused on Binx the louder he got. " _Well, I found a girl~, beautiful and sweet~. Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for meee~."_ He couldn't help the grin that broke out on his face when he saw Binx smile. 

   " _Cause we were just kids when we fell in love~, not knowing what it was~. I will not give you up this tiimmeee~, but darling just kiss me slow~. Your heart is all I own~, and in your eyes, you're holding miinneee~."_ Binx giggles and hides her face behind her hands, " _Baaabyy~, I'm dancing in the dark~. With you between my arms, barree foot in the grass dancing to our favorite song~. When you said you looked a mess~, I whispered underneath my breath...but you heaardd it~. Darlin, you look perfect tonight~."_ Prince stops singing and looks down smiling to himself. The sound of the other's applauding caused his blush to burn brighter, a tug on his sleeve causes him to look to the side. Binx smiles shyly at him, "Was that song for me Princey?" She asks. Prince grins like a fool and nods, his princess smiles and leans up on her tiptoes. Gently she places a kiss on his blush tinted cheek, "You look pretty perfect yourself." In the background, Kingsley wept tears of joy at how cute his son and the little she-devil were.

 


	43. Rebellious Stage

"Elder Kettle, you're going to have to take the boy back. He's gotten out of hand and I just can't handle him anymore!" Mrs. Potts cried as she paced around her small living room. Elder Kettle leans back in his chair and sighs, "Mrs. Potts...the boy is only sixteen, he's going through some changes and he's missing his father." He explains while rubbing his head. The elderly Pot stops and stares at the wise kettle as if he has grown a third eye, "Missing his father!? When you miss someone you get sad, not set your bed on fire along with the bathroom!" She screeches while throwing her arms up. Elder Kettle holds his hands up in defense, "Okay, okay! How about I take him off your hands? Cuphead and Mugman have missed having him around." What the two elders hadn't noticed was an angry Prince standing just behind the kitchen entryway. Prince allows his purplish-black hair to fall over his dulled green eyes, he walks in and glares at the two elders. "What am I to you two? Just some damn toy that you can pass back and forth?" He asks angrily. Elder Kettle and Mrs. Potts both stare at Prince with wide eyes, "Princely! Oh, my boy no we don't think that! Mrs. Potts just doesn't understand how to take care of a teenage boy that's all!" 

Prince's glare deepens as he turns to leave, he walks out of the front door slamming it behind him. "They don't understand me at all! I just...want to fucking go home." The brooding teen mumbles as he walks away from the small cottage that his foster mother lived in. Ever since Prince hit puberty, his emotions have been going every which way but up. Recently he's been focusing on his anger and sorrow, he was angry at the cup's for taking him, he was angry at himself for being taken, and he was angry at his father for never coming to save him. He sighs heavily and kicks a rock across the dirt road he was walking on, his sorrows were mostly focused on his former home. Life at the casino wasn't always peachy, but it was still a decent life. He smiles when he recalls the time when his father and Devil had a 'Who's Cuter Competition,' between him and Binx. A small chuckle leaves him, "ANYTHING YOUR KID CAN DO, MY KID CAN DO BETTER!" "OH PAH-LESE! MY LITTLE PRINCE COULD EASILY BEAT YOUR LITTLE SHE-DEVIL!" The argument between his father and abuser rang throughout his head. 

A loud laugh leaves him, he covers his mouth and blushes in embarrassment that was the first he's laughed in a long time. "Our dads are weird, isn't that right princess?" "Yeah, but my dad is right, I can do anything better than you can Princey." "Excuse me?" He stifles a giggle when his and Binx's conversation comes to his mind. That day, they all had an amazing time, there was no imaginary friends, no game, and no tension. It was just...them being normal for once, Prince sighs and hangs his head, "I wish I could go back to that..." He whispers as he plops down under a tree. He leans his head against the bark and closes his eyes, the memory of the day he was taken flashes through his head. "D-DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME PLEASE! I-I'LL BE GOOD I PROMISE!" "You better get out of here before my strength returns...cause when it does I'll destroy all three of you." A small whimper escapes the teens trembling lips, "I-I was good...s-so why let them t-take me?" He finally speaks his unspoken seven-year question. 

"They took you because you were in trouble." Says Elder Kettle as he plops down next to Prince. The teen opens one eye and glances over to the older man, "I wasn't in tro-." "Yes you were, my boys never lie Prince. They said that when they arrived into the Devil's throne room that the monster had you up in the air, ready to strike." Elder Kettle interrupts him. Prince opens his other eye and stares at the older man, he wasn't telling a lie. Prince reluctantly sighs and folds his arms across his chest, "Okay, so I was getting my ass kicked by Devil...not like he hadn't done it before." He mumbles as he picks at the lint on his lavender sleeve. "Yes, I know about the abuse. Those scars from your past are very visible you know, but I will not judge you for them." Kettle explains as he gives Prince a small smile. The teen returns it and rubs his left forearm, "My dad...tried to protect me from him...but...it didn't exactly work. Dad...fought Devil for me...but that didn't stop the abuse...t-that didn't stop him from making me...m-making me..." Prince stops himself and looks down allowing his hair to fall over his eyes. "M-MISTA PRINCE STOP!!" "GET UP! GET.UP.RIGHT.NOW!" A shudder of fear runs down his spine as he recalls the night he harmed the little demon. 

"Princely...come back to me son, you don't need to dwell on the past." Kettle urges as he gently shakes the teen's arm. Prince blinks and looks up at Elder Kettle, "Hey...pops? Can we go home?" The older man smiles and stands from his place on the ground, "Of course we can Princely."


	44. Her First Steps

The Devil sat in front of his infant daughter and held his hands out, "Come on Binx! Come to daddy!" He said while giving her a wide grin. The tiny demon stared at her father and laughed while clapping her hands. He frowns, "No, not patty cake! Come to daddy sweetheart!" He says once more while flexing his fingers, hoping the motion would get his little girl to move. Binx blew a raspberry and giggled at her father's motion, Devil sighs and stands up from the floor. "Alright, we'll try again later." He says as he scoops his six-month-old up into his arms. Binx wraps her tiny tail around one of his clawed fingers and chews on her tiny hand. Devil grins and kisses his little girl's head, "You're too precious." He says as he carries her over to her play area beside his throne. 

Devil sets her down and hands one of the wooden blocks to her, Binx snatches the toy and puts it in her mouth. Devil chuckles and plops down onto his throne, "Dice! Bring me a bottle for Binx!" He yells as he leans back on his throne. Soon his lackey walks into the throne room holding a baby bottle full of milk, Devil holds back a laugh when he sees orange splotches on his lackey's coat. "Don't even say it, boss. Princely is a messy eater," Kingsley huffs as he hands the bottle to the Devil. When Binx hears the die man speak her ears perk up, using her father's throne as leverage she pulls herself up onto her tiny legs. She wobbles a little but catches herself, "Ki! Ki!" She calls as she stumbles over to Kingsley. "Boss look! Her first steps!!" The lackey yells as he bends down to meet the little princess. 

Devil drops the bottle and stares with his mouth opened, "NOW HOLD ON A MINUTE! I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET HER TO WALK ALL MORNING! YOU COME IN AND SHE WALKS RIGHT TO YA! WHAT THE HELL!" He yells as his tail thrashes around angrily. Kingsley lets out a hearty laugh and scoops Binx into his arms, "I dunno boss. Maybe I'm just a baby magnet," he replies as he tickles Binx's stomach. She giggles and wraps her tail around his gloved finger, "Ki!" She says. "SHE'S EVEN SAYING YOUR NAME! She hasn't even said dada yet..." Kingsley laughs again and hands Binx back to her father, "Maybe you're just bad with kids." The Devil takes his little girl and glares, "I am not! You're just more experienced cause you got a damn two-year-old!" Kingsley grins. "Well, you've got a six-month-old which means you'll have a lot of time to be better than me, boss." The Devil scoffs and looks down at his daughter's bright blue eyes, "Damn right I'll be better than you..."


	45. Cooking Hazard

"Princey!! I'm home, let's go play!!" Binx yells as she knocks on her best friends bedroom door, she waited for the young die to open the door, but he hadn't. The four-year-old tilts her head to the side, "Princey?" She asks as she opens the door, she bumps into a pair of purple-clad legs when she tries to walk inside. Binx looks up and grins, "Uncle Dice!" She says as she hugs the taller man's legs, Kingsley chuckles and lifts the girl into his arms. "Hello, Binx. Home from your mother's I see?" He says as he pokes the little demon's stomach. She giggles and nods, "Mhm! I was wanting to see if Princey could play!" Kingsley's smile falls for a moment, "Ah...Prince is sick kiddo. He's got a really bad fever." Binx's ears lower just like her spirits, "Oh...okay..." 

Seeing the little girls hurt expression made Kingsley feel bad, "How about I play with you? We can play chefs, how does that sound?" The manager suggests as he walks out into the hallway shutting his son's door behind him. Binx perks back up and wags her tail fast, "Okay! But I want to be the head chef!" She says happily. Kingsley chuckles and walks to the casino's kitchen holding his 'niece,' "Sure thing Binxy." Once they're in the kitchen, they both put on their chef hats and aprons. Kingsley holds back a laugh when Binx's hat falls over her eyes. "Hey! Who turned out the lights!" She says as she moves her head around. Kingsley laughs and lifts the hat away from her eyes, "Boo!" He says. Binx squeals and giggles. "Don't do that uncle Dice!" She says she smacks his arm. Kingsley chuckles and pats the tiny demon's head. 

"Alright, kiddo! What do you want to cook?" Asks Kingsley as he takes out a few ingredients and kitchenware. Binx hums and taps her arm with her claw, "Oh! I know, let's make Princey some soup!" She exclaims while flying up to sit on a chair. Kingsley grins and hands Binx a spoon, "That's a wonderful idea! I'm sure our soup will make him feel all better." He says as he gathers more ingredients. "I hope so, let's make him rainbow soup! I really liked it when you made it for me that one time!" Kingsley chuckles, he made 'rainbow' soup for the little demon when she got the flu. "Well, if we're making rainbow soup then I better take control of the kitchen don't you think?" Binx nods and pushes an empty bowl in front of the manager, "Alright! Now...let's get some broth on the stove." 

~One Giant Mess Later~

When they were done, the kitchen was a huge mess. Just about every dish was dirty, and food coloring stained the kitchenware. Binx stares in awe at the soup her and her 'uncle' made for Prince, she watched how Kingsley added the food coloring to the heated chicken broth and how he gently added edible sparkle covered noodles to it. "Are you sure Princey will like it uncle Dice?" She asks while looking up at him. Kingsley grins and wipes a stray sparkle off of the little demon's cheek. "I'm positive, he'll love it since we made it." He reassures. Kingsley lifts Binx into his arms and hands her the bowl of soup, "Let's take it to him now. Don't get burned okay?" He says as he takes his time out of the kitchen. 

Kingsley opens the door to his and his son's room, he pokes his head in and smiles a little. Princely is sitting up in his bed drinking the water he had left him, "Hey kiddo, how are you feeling?" He asks as he walks in. He sets Binx down and walks over to his son's side to feel his head, the fever was still clinging to him. "A-A little better...w-why do y-you two smell like chicken?" Prince rasps as he looks between Binx and his father. Binx perks up and holds the bowl of soup out to the sick die, "We made you rainbow soup! We hope you like it!" She says as Prince takes the soup from her. He smiles and takes a small bite of it, the soup wasn't that bad, though he did wish the sparkles weren't in there. "I-It's really good...thank you Binx...t-thank you, daddy." Kingsley grins down at Binx and holds his thumb up. 

"BINX! KINGSLEY! WHAT IS THIS MESS IN MY KITCHEN!" The Devil roared causing the manager and the tiny demon to freeze. "Last one under the craps table is an archangel!" Kingsley yells as he disappears into a portal. Binx squeals and flies out of the room, "NO FAIR UNCLE DICE!!"


	46. You Promised

Prince glares up at his father, his arms folded across his chest. "You promised that I would be able to walk around the casino today dad!" He yells as he stomps his foot. Kingsley sighs and rubs his head, "I know kiddo...but it's a full house today and I just can't risk you getting hurt." He says hoping his son would understand. The boy's glare deepens as he taps his foot, "I'm not scared! So why are you!" Prince yells again. Kingsley tenses at the boy's words, how dare he ask that? "Why am I scared? How could you ask me that Princely!" He yells back at his son. Prince frowns and lifts his sleeves, "Is it because of these dad? Are you scared this will happen again?" Kingsley looks away from his son and clenches his fists. 

"If you must know son, yes it is because of those. What do you think those marks are? War scars? Because they're not, they're nothing but abuse, d-do you think I want t-that to happen to you again? Do you really think I want you to be hurt again?" Kingsley asks as he tries to keep his temper under control. Prince frowns and pulls his sleeves down, "You could have fooled me." He spats angrily. Without warning his father had slapped him across the face, Prince gasps and stares at the floor with wide eyes. "O-Oh g-gosh...S-Son I-I didn't mean to! Y-Your...y-your attitude with wearing on me a-and I just...O-Oh gosh Princely I'm so sor-." Prince's expression cuts him off. A light red mark is forming on the boy's cheek, tears are swimming in his eyes. "G-GO AWAY!!" Prince cries as he hides from his father. Kingsley deflates and sags his shoulder's down, "P-Princely...o-okay I'll cut you a deal! H-How about a make a day for me and you? We can get on the stage and perform!" He says hoping his son will cheer up, "G-Go a-away d-dad..." Prince hiccups from his hiding spot. 

Kingsley sighs and leaves his son alone before he closes the door he whispers, "I'm sorry Prince..." The casino manager had been dragging himself around all day, just the look on his boy's face brought down his mood. "Aye, King? You alright?" Asked Jimmy, one of the most loyal gamblers. Kingsley looks over at him and sighs heavily, "I got into an argument with my son today...he got an attitude with me and something in me just...snapped Jim...I slapped him and...he just looked so sad." Jimmy blinks and tilts his head, "Ya mean your sweet little Prince? Man, he doesn't seem like he could raise his voice even if he wanted to!" Jimmy exclaims in shock. Kingsley chuckles bitterly, "You'd be surprised now Jim...ever since...he got into the accident he's not been the same..." Kingsley muttered. Jimmy places his hand on the manager's shoulder and looks at him with concern, "What accident King?" 

Kingsley freezes and stares at the boar in front of him, could he really tell him about his son's abuse? No, Jimmy is a good guy but he wouldn't understand. "A-Ah...P-Prince had...been attacked b-by a couple of demons the last time he was out a-and he's just not been the same." Kingsley curses himself for stumbling, come on! He's a sleazy manager, lying is supposed to come naturally! Jimmy whistles through his teeth, "Ya know, King he could have been marked by one." Kingsley blinks and looks at his favorite gambler with wide eyes, "Marked?" He questions. Jimmy nods, "Yeah, I mean I've heard about it before, but I dunno if it's true or not." Kingsley considers this for a moment, but why would the Devil mark him? As far as he knows his boss despises his son. "Hey, King! Isn't that your boy sneaking up to the VIP lounge!" One of the skeletons at a blackjack table called. Kingsley whirls around and stares in horror, sure enough, Prince was...being dragged? "WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING!?" 

Kingsley rushes up the stairs after his son, he slams the double doors open and stares with wide eyes. His eight-year-old was smoking a cigar, "PRINCELY DICE!" He roars as he stomps over to his son. The lit cigar fell from the boy's mouth, "D-Daddy I-" Prince was caught off by his father hitting him once again. Kingsley groans and holds his hand, "WHY DON'T YOU EVER LISTEN TO ME!? I TELL YOU TO STAY IN THE OFFICE AND LOOK AT WHAT YOU DO!" He yells angrily. Prince sniffles and rubs his cheek, "W-Why d-do you care!? Y-You, laugh with the Devil whenever he brings up my abuse!" Prince yells. Kingsley's heart shatters, "D-DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME! AND I DO CARE PRINCE! WHY WOULD YOU ACCUSE ME OF LAUGHING AT THAT!" He yells as he tries to fight back his own tears. Prince clenches his fists and yells, "I HATE YOU! I-I WISH YOU WASN'T MY DAD!" The young die ran past his father and out of the lounge. 

Kingsley felt his world shatter, "Don't worry King...he didn't mean it." Says one of the gamblers in the room. He just nods and leaves the lounge, Kingsley clenches his jaw and tries to fight back his tears. "King! Man, I heard all of it, don't let him get at you too much alright? My kids say that to me all the time." Jimmy says as he runs over to Kingsley's side when he comes down the stairs. The manager shakes his head and laughs, "T-That's the thing Jim...P-Prince wouldn't ever say that...h-he's changed..." He whispers. Kingsley looks up at the boar and wipes his eyes quickly, "T-Tell me more about this...marked business.."


	47. Lucky Die by Great Papyrus

" Prince stumbled into his fathers office, wiping the tears from his cheeks as he weakly sniffled. " Hey Dad.. " he greeted. " Heya kiddo! How was your day out in the casino?~ " Kingsley asked with a grin as he turned around, only for it to quickly be replaced with a frown when he saw his son's sad expression. " It was terrible.. " he whimpered, climbing onto the chair in front of the desk. Kingsley quickly lifted him into his arms, wiping stray tears from his cheeks. " What happened out there, Kiddo? Does King Dad have to teach some bullies a lesson? " he asked with a slight growl. " ..Sir Taurus's kids were making fun of me again.. calling me weak and scrawny.. " Prince explained, tears forming in his eyes. Kingsley glared through the cracked office door, right at the two bull children locking horns with eachother. "

" Kingsley sighed, he wished he could do something about Sir Taurus's children, but he is a loyal patron for the casino, forking over a ridiculous amount of cash on a weekly basis. His boss would be furious if he ran off such a gambler, he couldn't afford that. However, he did have an idea to help cheer his son up, as well as to help him disregard the bulls' words.

A grin crawled across the manager's face. " Y'know, Kiddo, theres something.. special, about you and I. " Kingsley stated. " ..What? Our heads? " Prince asked, poking the side of his head, " because I haven't seen any other dice-headed people.. " " No no, my little prince, something far better than that. " he said, carrying his son over to the door. " What is it then, dad? " Prince asked, raising an eyebrow. " We have something a lotta object heads don't.. " Kingsley said, slightly opening the door to look out at the sea of gamblers. " Sure, all these folks have fancy clothes, some of 'em even have gold in their heads, but that is nothin' compared to us. " " Why? " Prince asked, a bit more eager to hear the answer. Kingsley looked down at his son, giving him a massive grin, " We're magic! " he exclaimed. Prince gasped, his expression slowly returning to a confused one, " Magic? Like how? " he asked. " I'll show ya~ " his father sang, closing the door. He walked over to his chair, and put his son down in it. "

" Prince watched excitedly, eyes almost sparkling. " Now, y'know the usual party tricks your dad can do, " Kingsley began to speak, a card quickly flying out of his suit's sleeve, " fancy tricks with cards to impress the kiddies, but that isn't all we dice can do!~ " he finished, tossing the card away as he clapped his hands together. A pinkish wind flew out from his hands, blowing Prince back a bit, his expression not changing from excitement. Moving his hands away revealed a pink, spinning die, one that seemed to radiate energy. " This, my little prince, is a special die. This die right here, " Kingsley smirked, " is what I like to call, the lucky die. " Prince watched the die spin around, noticing the only numbers on it was one, two, and three. Kingsley pushed the die down onto his desk, the die stopping on two. " This die determines how a certain thing may happen, it can be linked to whatever we desire, be it a simple game of craps, to a certain person's actions. " he explained, spinning the die with his finger. " ..Wait- how? " Prince asked, snapping out of his bewilderment. "

Kingsley smiled, grabbing the die, " Lets find out, shall we? " he asked, raising an eyebrow. Prince quickly nodded, bouncing a bit.

Kingsley moved the die between his fingers, thinking about what it should be linked to. After a moment, he tossed out the die, it spinning in midair once more. " Why don't ya stop it, kiddo? Test your luck with this lucky die. " he asked with a grin, Prince happily scooting closer to the desk. He concentrated for a bit, finally slapping the die down, the die landing on one. " Ah, nice one! Now, lets see whatcha get. " Kingsley glanced over at the office door. A soft knock could be heard on the office door, followed by quiet mumbling. Kingsley walked over to the door and opened it, two bull children on the other side. They were looking down at their hooves, huffing at each other as a way to bicker about who should go in first. " One of ya better open ya yaps, or yer grounded for a month. " huffed a much larger bull, sporting a monocle and golden horn caps, wearing a blindingly white suit. One of the children stepped forward, Prince flinching a bit. " We're sorry for callin' ya weak, dice kid. " the child huffed, rolling his eyes. " No! Dad said ya had to mean it! " the other one snapped, stopping a hoof on the ground. " Ok fine! Prince, I'm really sorry for callin' ya weak and scrawny, it ain't nice t' do that, and I'm a.. " " a big stinker for sayin' it! " the other one finished. Kingsley smiled, winking at an amazed Prince. " Good, now you boys c'mon, we're havin' golden leaf spaghetti tonight. " Sir Taurus said, signalling his boys to follow. " Seeya next week, Mr. King Dice. " he said, tipping his hat to the manager. Kingsley waved, " Seeya next week, golden bull. " They both chuckled, Kingsley closing the office door after the two bull children scampered to their father's sides. " ..Thanks dad... " Prince thanked, giving his father a smile. " Anytime, kiddo. " Kingsley returned his smile.


End file.
